Bachelor programme educational activities have been rearranged and classes went online within a few days. The study process is organized using various digital tools - Google Meet, Zoom, our own SSE Riga E-learning platform, and Skype. There have been no delays in the original schedule of courses and faculty members have successfully adapted to running lectures, seminars and other types of course work remotely. Also, examinations have been adapted to fit distance studies without losing the academic integrity that SSE Riga expects from its students. All decisions related to the state of emergency are closely monitored in order to adapt the study process accordingly and allow both local and foreign students to safely follow the SSE Riga curriculum. We expect that diplomas for the Class of 2020 will be issued according to the original time plan.
This spring the admission process for the Bachelor programme will be organized fully online. The goal of these changes is to ensure fair and easy assessment of candidates irrespective of their home country. The admissions test, as well as interviews with selected top candidates, will be run online in May and early June. Prospective students have been informed that if travelling to Riga for international students is restricted in the autumn, online lectures will be offered.
The spring modules of the Executive MBA programme have been rescheduled and moved forward. The Executive Master Thesis defences in May will be held remotely if necessary. Recruitment for the new Executive MBA group is ongoing stressing the value of the Executive MBA experience in turbulent times like these. Most recruitment efforts for the Executive MBA programme are being moved online and the application deadline remains early June for the time being. The new class of students will be given the opportunity to pay the Executive MBA tuition fee in four instalments without any additional fee.
The Executive Education unit is in active collaboration with lecturers and corporate clients in converting our upcoming courses for live delivery in online platforms. The team is also engaged in developing new online products to meet the market demand under the current circumstances.
The Centre for Media Studies has launched an Emergency Media Support campaign.
SSE Riga in collaboration with the Foreign Investors Council in Latvia has just published a study on Covid-19 impact on foreign investors in Latvia with the aim of providing policymakers with information that can contribute to more strategic and evidence-based decision making during this time. The study covers short-term and long-term challenges investors are facing, measures taken by individual companies as well as recommendations to the Latvian Government.
SSE Riga BSc students have undertaken an interesting research project in the Anthropology Course interviewing more than 300 people in Latvia about the social and economic consequences of the pandemic. The aim is to provide valuable insights into our society during these times.
Finally, the time when there are no students on campus has been used to perform renovation works in auditoriums. The School also continues to provide comfortable accommodation for the students who remain in dormitories.
Thanks to the commitment and hard work of the entire SSE Riga team the School has successfully and well above expectations continued its operations and is planning for the challenges ahead of us.
Wishing you, your families, friends, colleagues and communities good health and safety going forward.
Sincerely,
Anders Paazlow, SSE Riga Rector