Milton Chicas Earns International Masters In Business Administration
From Gardner Webb University

Gardner-Webb calls its International Masters of Business Administration (IMBA) program, “A global education for a global economy”. What could be a more appropriate degree for a global citizen such as Milton Chicas, a native of Nicaragua living in Charlotte and a multilingual world traveler?

Everyone at WBI would like to congratulate Milton on his great achievement. He was the only student to earn the IMBA in 2009.
    His is an American success story that he has been kind enough to share with us.

     When I came to the United States, the first idea in my mind was, “I need to continue my education.” I remember as a kid walking several miles to go to school with my mother. She always explained to me the value of an education, what a sacrifice my parents made to make sure I got the education they never had.
     I finished college in Nicaragua with a degree in Civil Engineering; at the same time I pursued learning languages and started with German. After a while, I traveled to different places with the objective of practicing my languages and learning more about civil engineering, I worked with several international organizations on multiple construction projects.
     I knew I needed to advance my education and I decided to go to America, the only place where you can go as far as your determination will take you.
     I worked for a couple of construction companies in North Carolina and, after a few years, I made one of the best decisions I have ever made. I applied to work for Wayne Brothers, a company whose vision and commitment to their workforce continues to impress me.
     The IMBA prepared me for an understanding of international business and cultural differences through advanced training and direct experience in a specific country or region of the world; it gave me a broad knowledge of the managerial and financial America.
    The thirty-six credit hour curriculum includes eighteen hours of graduate international business courses, twelve hours of required general Master of Business Administration (MBA) core courses and six hours of electives from the Graduate School of Business selection.
     The hooding ceremony proceeding the graduation day is Gardner Webb’s way of denoting scholarly and professional achievements. The colorful hood is part of the academic regalia reserved for those receiving a degree beyond the bachelor’s level. The hood is lined with the official colors of the university or college conferring the degree and the hoods are edged and bound with velvet appropriate for the specific degree (Yellow- Brown in the case of the Godbold School of Business). At the ceremony, the Dean calls for the master candidate and the hood is placed on the student as a symbol of their passage from student to master.