GTK Summer University
'On Monday morning, we greeted the arriving students with a welcome pack consisting of a bag, pen, notebook and T-shirt. Before the 8 am registration, the orientation campus tour for international students started at 9 am, and the first classes had already begun by 10 am. Everything went smoothly at the start, and nothing happened the rest of the week that couldn’t be resolved' said Mr Forrai.
Icerbeaker games in the Museum Garden on the first day
Students could attend one of six courses, including the 'Skills Development in Business Communication' course, which was taught by Miklós Földes, a visiting lecturer from the University of Oxford. He focused on both written and oral communication skills to enable students to negotiate effectively in real business situations. Brand Development was taught by Justin Paul from India, who holds three doctoral degrees and ranks 72nd among the world’s most cited professors in the field of business economics. During the week, he worked with his students on case studies such as Louis Vuitton and Ivey.
Justi Paul, teacher of Developing Your Brand - Strategy and Practice course
Students could also enrol on The Economics of Climate Change course, taught by Theocharis Grigoriadis, a Yale and Berkeley graduate, which explored the climate issue from analytical, optimisation and theoretical perspectives. Dr Gábor Forrai, the director, taught negotiation techniques together with two excellent colleagues: Dr János Tanács, associate professor at our faculty, and Zsolt Böszörményi, a negotiation specialist at Bosch. Students learned tactics for successful negotiations, how to react in difficult situations, and how to manage their own and their negotiation partners' emotions.
Ilkka Ojansivu arrived from Finland to our Faculty
Since business cannot function without relationships, Ilkka Ojansivu from the University of Oulu taught a course on how to maintain them and address the associated challenges and strategies. Structuring his lessons around the three questions "What?", "Why?" and "How?", he guided his students through a challenging yet important topic. For those wishing to address the strategic and management challenges of tourism, Gabriele Tragschitz-Köck's classes were the perfect choice. Having been involved in several international projects, including the Dubai 2020 Expo and the development of marketing for the Formula 1 track in Abu Dhabi, she gave students a first-hand look at current trends and an understanding of the impact of people and the environment on tourism.
First day's welcome party at the courtyard of Building P
'However, a summer university is not just about learning, it also involves networking and getting to know the host city,' reassures the professor of the Department of Marketing and Argumentation. 'Every afternoon, our student assistants, Izabella Nagy and Hanna Peresztegi, organised some kind of leisure activity. On Monday evening, we held ice-breaker games in the Museum Garden, giving international participants an immediate taste of a true Budapest landmark. Afterwards, we held a standing reception in the courtyard of our P building, which was also a kind of inauguration, as it was the first time we held the opening event there. On Tuesday, we took the students and teachers on a guided city tour, while on Wednesday, we took the team to the National Museum and sent the students out to 'hunt' the famous Kolodko mini sculptures. Thursday was set aside for preparing for the final exams the following day, and on Friday, the students celebrated and said goodbye to each other at a karaoke party in the Library Club — hopefully not forever, as we will continue BESU next year!' Gábor Forrai concludes with a smile.
Photos by Bence Farkas and Ádám Temesi.