The University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management announced on Apr. 28 that its Executive MBA students spent a week in Lisbon, Portugal, as part of their international immersion experience. The trip was hosted by Autónoma Academy at the Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa and provided participants with opportunities to engage with local business leaders and institutions.
The immersion week is considered a key element of the EMBA program, allowing students to broaden their understanding of leadership and innovation from a global perspective. Students chose between an international residency focused on global business or a domestic residency emphasizing public affairs. Previous international trips have included destinations such as Italy and Japan.
During their time in Lisbon, the cohort explored the city’s startup ecosystem through presentations at the Lisbon Unicorn Factory and learned about artificial intelligence and cloud strategy from Global Azure Portugal. They also met with representatives from Portugal’s National Entity for Energy Sector to discuss developments in hydrogen production and mobility strategies.
Germaine Jones, an EMBA student set to graduate this spring, said: “The community of Lisbon was great. They had a lot of passion, especially the companies that we visited. It wasn’t about profits or ego; it was just about doing what they love. That was very inspiring to me.” Jones serves as deputy contracting officer for the Navajo Nation Office of Management and Budget and hopes to apply lessons learned during his studies within his community.
Jones also said: “Portugal and the Navajo Nation share a lot similarities. (Portugal) is a young country like the Navajo Nation, so it got me thinking like, how can I share our culture with the world.” He further described his cohort experience: “(the cohort experience) made me think out of the box, especially the team that I was assigned with. We all have our own specialty and we all think differently. It showed me that there are more ways than one to shape a business or organization.”
According to the official website, The University of New Mexico has more than 200,000 alumni worldwide who have contributed significantly across various fields including national academies and major publications. The university’s athletics program competes in the Mountain West Conference under its Lobos name; its arena is recognized among top college basketball venues according to UNM. UNM also acts as a cultural resource through libraries, museums, galleries, performance spaces while promoting diversity as stated by UNM. Its campus features Pueblo Revival architecture within an arboretum setting in a metropolitan area according to UNM.
The university has been ranked among top public schools nationally by U.S News & World Report—including high marks for primary care medical schools (16th) and most diverse medical schools (5th)—according to UNM. In spring 2023 alone it enrolled over 24,000 students across main/branch campuses as reported by UNM.
