[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/mba games.jpg” caption=”DeGroote MBA students with Paul Bates (centre), after their victory in the MBA Games. Photo by Susan Bubak.”]

The spotlight will be on McMaster University and Hamilton when the DeGroote School of Business hosts the 2008 MBA Games next January. The School was awarded the opportunity to host the next MBA Games after DeGroote students won the 2007 Games.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the excellence of our MBA program here at McMaster,” says Paul Bates, dean of the DeGroote School of Business. “We are extremely proud of our students both for their victory in the 2007 MBA Games and also for the leadership they have demonstrated in successfully bidding to host the 2008 MBA Games.”

DeGroote's Games will focus on the theme of international development. For the competition, the organizers have partnered with MBAs Without Borders, a not-for-profit group that helps MBA students gain valuable international experience by working to make struggling economies self-sustaining through the development of private sector enterprise. MBAs Without Borders was founded by DeGroote graduates
Tal Dehtiar and Michael Brown.

“We want to demonstrate the role that MBA students, as the next generation of business leaders, can play in improving the world we live in,” explains MBA student Melissa Coulson. “Along with MBAs Without Borders, we will be partnering with other organizations that have an interest in conducting business in developing countries and who demonstrate corporate social responsibility initiatives.”

The MBA Games, which started at Queen's University about 20 years ago, consist of three days of academic, athletic and spirit competitions. The Games is a national event, with schools from all over Canada from Vancouver to Nova Scotia in attendance. At least 600 students are expected to participate, making it the largest gathering of MBA students in Canada. The 2008 Games at DeGroote will take place Jan. 3 to 6.