Viljamaa Named 2013 UW MBA Consortium Outstanding Graduate
Posted: May 12th, 2013
Mikko K. Viljamaa has been named the 2013 University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium Outstanding Graduate. Viljamaa will be recognized May 18th at the MBA Celebration Reception immediately following the Commencement Ceremony. The commencement will take place in Zorn Arena; the reception will be in the new Davies Center, both on the UW-Eau Claire campus.
Viljamaa graduated with a degree in engineering from Finland in 1992. In 2003, he moved from Finland to "a new frozen tundra, Wisconsin," with the intent of remaining in the states for two years and then returning to Europe. As he puts it, "Little did I know then… after 10 years I'm still here and in the process of becoming a US citizen."
After a 15 year absence from the academic world, he started his MBA degree at UW Oshkosh in their campus-based program; but professional traveling requirements led him to switch to the UW MBA Consortium program, a totally online program offered jointly by UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh and UW-Parkside. Viljamaa describes his MBA experience by saying "The UW MBA Consortium program gave a great and convenient opportunity to expand my business understanding in a stimulating and encouraging environment. With gifted and dedicated professors combined with students from different backgrounds, I had the opportunity to learn not only from the faculty members but also from my peers. Compared to some other programs, this approach offers an additional benefit which I know will be useful in my future professional voyage."
The Outstanding Graduate is chosen by vote of the Consortium faculty. Dr. Suresh Chalesani of UW Parkside who has had Viljamaa in class indicated that "He is intelligent and hard-working; he brings substantive analysis and multiple perspectives into discussion messages and papers." Dr. Lise Graham of UW-La Crosse comments that " Mikko's performance in class "was exceptionally excellent! He showed his intelligence and enthusiasm in his course work, always provided insightful points, participated in discussions actively, and worked extremely well with his classmates." And, Dr. Ben Arbaugh of UW-Oshkosh added, " Mikko was a consummate class participant, both in terms of providing high-quality content based on his experiences and facilitating discussions with fellow students. His global experiences enabled him to add value to our class discussions."
Viljamaa has been employed by the Metso Corporation for 18 years. Metso is a global supplier of technology and services in the process industries, employing 30,000 professionals in over 50 countries. He credits Metso's support and willingness to invest in its employees for his ability to pursue his MBA dream. |
