This year in April we launched our EMBA Cohort 12, and Wine EMBA Cohort 9 (Wine 9). In May we celebrated 77 MBA graduates who will be joining our esteemed group of more than 700 Sonoma MBA Alumni, which includes 220 MBAs in Wine Business. We are now preparing to welcome our new PMBA 2021 cohort in August, and the second Global Wine EMBA cohort (GWEMBA 2) in October.
We’ve held several virtual mixers with alumni and students (and we encourage you all to attend our Summer MBA Connect virtual meeting on July 13) and have sought out opportunities to bring scholars together, in person, in a safe way. We were able to provide an in-person field trip for our Wine 8 EMBA cohort in April. Thanks to Stags Leap, some guest Alumni, and a very passionate Instructor (you all know who you are), this day-long experience was packed with learnings about the wine region of Alexander Valley. We were also happy to be able to meet with members of the 3 Executive Cohorts at Ramsgate Winery this week. Again, thanks to all who hosted and supported this gathering. We look forward to more in-person gatherings and hope to see all of you in the near future.
As we prepare to return to campus for in-person Instruction this Fall, it seems like a good time to reflect and consider how we can continue to grow the new discoveries we’ve learned through this recent past, and let go of the old, tired ways that are no longer serving us. Some things that seemed to have worked surprisingly well in the virtual world are: mixers for our MBA community; leadership intensives; and even capstone presentations. Considering these new discoveries, finding a good balance of in-person and online interaction seems to be a good ideal to consider moving forward. Some of our Instructors will be experimenting with the hybrid model which includes in-person and online delivery. We are also considering new approaches to the program schedules and structures.
I am so grateful for the engagement and contributions of our MBA learning community which consists of current and prospective students, alumni, faculty and staff, and for the insights and experiences you have shared with us in so many ways. As always, I would like to invite and encourage you all to stay in touch. Please don't be shy - share your accomplishments, because your success is our success.