Lunch with the US ambassador Susan R. McCaw

After having invited several highly distinguished guest speakers in cooperation with the US Embassy to the unique setting of the Baroque hall in Krems, an IMC delegation was given the great honor to take part in a private lunch at the Embassy of the United States in Vienna. Hosted by her Excellency Ambassador Mrs. Susan McCaw and in presence of Mr. Kilner, Deputy Chief of Mission, as well as Ms. Katherine M. Perez, Embassy PD Officer and Ms. Roswitha Haller, Senior Embassy staff member, the IMC delegation got the valuable opportunity to converse with Excellency McCaw about a variety of issues.

Before assuming her post as Ambassador on January 9, 2006, Mrs. McCaw was President of various private investment firms in the US. Prior to that, she was active in financing emerging growth companies in the technology industry and served as an international Business Analyst. Ambassador McCaw graduated from Stanford University and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. Together with her husband, Mr. Craig McCaw, she founded the charitable Craig and Susan McCaw Foundation and actively promotes issues like the fight against poverty, education and environmental protection as well as economic development and increasing the beneficial spread of technology.

As for her tenure as Ambassador, she set the objective to improve the public image and perception of the United States in Austria through, among others, increasing academic and professional exchanges between the US and Austria, particularly among young people.

Together with the founder of the IMC and current executive manager Mr. Heinz Boyer and Prof. Anis H. Bajrektarevic, EXP Chair of International Law and Global Political Studies, three eight-semester students from the Export Oriented Management Program (Sita DeZoysa, Johanna Duenser and Roberto Thym), as well as the EXP alumni representative Mag. (FH) Manuela Bösendorfer, got the opportunity to participate in the lunch.

Her Excellency Mrs. McCaw expressed particular interest in the history of the IMC, as well as the high degree of internationalization of students. In addition, each student was asked to provide a short overview of their respective theses and Mrs. McCaw proved to be impressed by the huge variety of topics covered by IMC students. Mrs. McCaw indicated her strong desire to accept an invitation to deliver a guest lecture at the IMC in the future (most probably in fall) and to experience not only the vibrant international atmosphere at the campus Krems, but also the impressive natural beauty of the Wachau region.

Special thanks and tribute goes to Ms. Katherine M. Perez, the US Embassy PD Officer and Ms. Roswitha Haller, Senior Embassy staff member, who made this event possible.