Graduation 2012

New College and the Oxford Examination Schools provided a perfect setting to recognize the achievements of the 2012 Revans University and IMCA graduands.


The sun shone and an exhilarating day was had by all in attendance.
We were delighted to welcome Dr Nigel Sewell an IMCA External Examiner who provided a motivating and enlightening speech to the Congregation.

The day commenced with our graduates from the Bahamas, Finland and the United Kingdom taking part in the Graduands workshop during the morning; where they shared some of their learning experiences and forged bonds with other graduates as they recounted their action learning journeys.

A short intermission for lunch and then it was time to for them to robe up and bask in the UK sun for photographs with family, colleagues and friends before the formalities of the ceremony.

It was then their time to shine on stage as their hard work and commitment to learning and development of their Action Learning projects was recognized by family, friends and faculty.

The photos that follow show the graduands being congratulated on their achievements and being admitted to the IMC Association by our Chancellor. We were also pleased to welcome Dr Mike Parsons, Chief Executive and Founder of Barchester Healthcare, (and a member of the IMCA Court of Honorary Members), who presented the certificates to our graduands.

The day was completed with a Drinks reception and Gala Dinner in the Dining Hall of New College a perfect setting for celebrating the academic achievements.

Thanks to all involved in making the day a huge success.


Debbie Woods, Global Executive Registrar

Faculty Hard At Work

Congregation, the act of conferring our degrees upon successful associates, is clearly the highlight of the week. But days before graduands and their guests assemble for the happy event, faculty from around the world take the opportunity to meet, exchange informations, share learnings and discusss ways to even further increase cooperation between a faculty team that covers all corners of the globe. In this picture alone we have faculty members and registry staff from Finland, Singapore, New Zealand and England!

Work Hard, Get To Go To The Pub As A Reward

Preparing for Congregation is hard work. Starting the day before the event with one's preparations is not recommended. A smooth event on the day requires weeks of planning and even then, s*** happens.
Three days out, the combined Auckland/Buckingham team of (from left) Deputy Registrar Kathryn, Registrar Debbie and Bursar Sylvia are relaxed enough to take the Dean down to the pub - where it is lemonades all around and a real ale for the writer!

Breakfast @ Villiers

The days leading up to Congregation created an opportunity for Gordon Prestoungrange and the writer to formalise IMCA's management plans for 2010 and beyond. After a hearty breakfast that luckily did not include kippers, Drs Prestoungrange and Maurer sealed their agreement with initials, signatures, a handshake and this photograph taken by the Younger of Prestoungrange.

No Rest For The Wicked

Each year the Chancellor presents IMCA's high achievers with special prizes at Congregation. Unfortunately, these prizes do not clean themselves prior to Congregation! Muscle power, pink gloves and a toothbrush were called for when Bursar Sylvia Burgess (right) and Registrar Debbie Woods (left) got serious about getting the prizes ready for the engraver.

Ah well, time for a quick photo and then off to the pub in case the two of them came up with a job for me as well!

Just back from 2009 Congregation in Oxford

I haven't shaken the jetlag entirely yet, but I am sufficiently awake to start processing my Oxford experiences.

IMCA's 2009 Congregation took place on Saturday, 5 September, at the Oxford Examination Schools.

Over the next few days, I will be posting comments and photographic images relating to the event itself as well to the graduands' workshop on Friday, 4 September and the meeting of our Common Professional and Academic Board on Thursday, 3 September. Both these events were held at New College, Oxford. Graduands and faculty present came from the Uk itself, as well as from Finland, Vanuatu, Barbados, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, the USA, Canada, Malaysia, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.

On the Way to Buckingham

Buckingham England, as you know, is where IMCA has its roots. I am blogging at Changi Airport in Singapore at the moment, on my way to the UK via Munich, Germany and Valencia, Spain where I am seeing either IMCA partners or taking care of some other business. On the way back to New Zealand, I will stop here in Singapore again to meet with IMCA partners Richard Toh and KC Chan. Richard is very busy with promoting Action learning through his Asia Management Association whereas KC is running a Doctoral Explication Set with four candidates, with he himself completing a higher doctorate, a Doctor of Letters. Very busy blokes, the two of them. Richard has just casually asked me to deliver a 15 minute speech here in Singapore on the relevance of Action Learning during the current business environment and mentioned in passing that Business News Asia, one of the local television channels wants to film the session.
I know what I will be doing on the various plane trips through Europe!
Dr Hans Maurer