EMBA International Module

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted many firsts in the lives of students, faculty and staff this academic year. EMBA in Energy students were no different. Eighteen students representing Cohorts 12 and 13 visited Norman Dec. 7-14, 2020, for a weeklong residency in place of their planned international module. Eleven students joined remotely. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, students in Cohorts 12 and 13 were unable to travel to Europe for the program’s usual 10-day residency. Instead, they completed the courses with the same instructors, along with 12 guest speakers, through face-to-face and remote learning opportunities on the University of Oklahoma campus.

The international module comprises two courses – energy economics and strategic management – and the students typically travel to Amsterdam and London, where they take those courses, participate in company site visits, hear from guest lecturers and enjoy some sightseeing. 

“This year, due to travel restrictions, we were unable to have the resident international module in Amsterdam and London,” said Dipankar Ghosh, David Ross Boyd Professor and executive director of the Energy Institute. “Nevertheless, we organized a robust week of learning that included high-level course content, a dozen C-Suite energy-related guest speakers, most of them from Europe, and opportunities for group discussions about energy in the global environment.” 

Throughout the week, students heard from Jan Willem Velthuijsen, chief economist at PwC Europe, who taught energy economics remotely from Amsterdam, and Kim Colburn, chief operating officer, North American Natural Gas Liquids at BP, who taught strategic management in person at the Norman campus. 

Guest speakers represented companies such as BP, Devon Energy, EY, PwC and Shell and spoke to the students through video conference. 

The residency included more than class work, though. Students spent a half-day visiting Cushing, Oklahoma, a town about 90 miles from Norman that is dubbed the “Pipeline Crossroads of the World” and is a major crude oil storage hub. 

While there, they toured the facilities and learned about why and how Cushing plays a key role in determining the price of oil globally. The trip was made possible by Energy Institute advisory board member Harry N. Pefanis, who is president, chief commercial officer and director of Plains All American GP LLC. 

In addition to Cushing, the students viewed a drilling rig simulator at OU, visited the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City and attended a closing dinner at the Oklahoma History Center. 

This international residency marked the completion of the EMBA program for Cohort 12 members, while Cohort 13 finished the program in March.