A new Executive Master of Advanced Studies in Humanitarian Logistics and Management

The Università della Svizzera italiana (USI, www.usi.ch) in Lugano, Switzerland, launched today with a press conference a new Executive Master in a subject of international importance: Humanitarian Logistics and Management.

“The new Executive Master of Advanced Studies in Humanitarian Logistics and Management (www.humanitarianlogistics.ch) is a master’s program specifically tailored to professionals in the humanitarian sector interested in advancing their managerial, quantitative, analytical and decision-making skills”, according to prof. Rico Maggi, chairman of the Steering Committee for the Master. The new master is based on an interdisciplinary and integrative approach aimed at building the understanding of pressing humanitarian issues and the development of policies capable of addressing them. Through collaboration with several international humanitarian organizations the program provides a hands-on, multi-institutional perspective on humanitarian relief.

Courses will be hosted by the University of Lugano in Switzerland and will be conducted in English. An international cadre of professors, trained in the best institutions in the world and having years of applied experience, will ensure the program’s academic excellence, international orientation and relevance to practice. The first course started on January 12, 2009, thanks to the contribution of the FIDINAM Foundation in Lugano sponsoring the chair in Humanitarian Logistics and Management held by professor Paulo Gonçalves.

The new Master has four objectives: to provide the methodological, qualitative, quantitative, analytical tools essential for understanding and addressing the complex logistics and managerial challenges in humanitarian relief operations; to provide the conceptual and methodological foundations required to successfully align strategic, organizational, supply chain and project challenges faced by the humanitarian world; to prepare humanitarian professionals to play a key role in their organizations’ strategic management, bringing relationships with multiple stakeholders to the center of management policy; to train professionals to contribute to their organizations’ managerial policies, understanding the organizational and strategic drivers and their implications for emergency planning, and humanitarian relief operations and management.

The Master of Advanced Studies in Humanitarian Logistics and Management is offered to professionals from governmental and non-governmental, international, national and private organizations, as well as independent professionals. The program is tailored for practitioners who expect to continue working in related fields, including those who will return to their
organizations upon completion of the program, and those who are between jobs or anticipating a change of focus in their humanitarian assistance careers. The recruitment and admissions process seek to attract a mix of people from different countries, backgrounds and experiences.

“Access to participants from different organizations provides a unique opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences, and identify and solve issues common to multiple humanitarian organizations. Interaction among participants from various organizations also allows benchmarking and leveraging of opportunities and the essential basis for future successful collaboration in relief and development actions” concluded prof. Paulo Gonçalves.

The program is structured as a part time executive masters program of 60 ECTS credits, allowing students to continue their day-to-day activities while advancing their academic qualifications. Students attend classes for 2 week-sessions over an 18 month period.

Pictures of the press conference: www.copyrightfree.ch

Website: www.humanitarianlogistics.ch

Location: Lugano, Università della Svizzera italiana, via Giuseppe Buffi 13: http://maps.google.it/maps?hl=it&q=via+buffi+lugano&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=16&g=via+buffi+lugano&iwloc=addr)

Cristina Elia e Giovanni Zavaritt
Servizio comunicazione e media
Università della Svizzera italiana
Via Lambertenghi 10
6904 Lugano
Switzerland

Tel +41 (0)58.666.47.92
Fax +41 (0)58.666.46.19
E-Mail: [email protected]