On July 30th, 2010, MODUL University Vienna celebrated its first BBA graduation. Forty-five students who started studying in 2007 when MODUL
University was opened, graduated from the three year Bachelor Program in
Tourism and Hospitality Management. Wearing traditional gowns and caps, graduates were excited to receive the diploma from KommR Brigitte Jank, president of the Vienna Economic Chamber.

Recently, MODUL University Vienna has successfully been accredited by the Turkish YÖK which is the responsible institution of the Turkish Ministry of Education, similar to the Austrian Accreditation Council.

This year the annual Think Tank of the BEST Education Network was hosted at MODUL University Vienna. The BEST EN is an international consortium of educators committed to furthering the development and dissemination of knowledge in the field of sustainable tourism. At a BEST EN Think Tank, research is presented, sustainable tourism topics are addressed, and research and educational materials for use in undergraduate education are developed. 

The Climate Change Collaboratory (Triple-C) is a two-year research project funded within the Austrian Climate Research Program (ACRP). The introductory expert workshop and public symposium entitled “Climate Change Communication and Collaboration: Translating Awareness into Collective Action” took place on June 16th, 2010 at MODUL University Vienna. Photos of the event as well as the slides of the keynote speakers (see short biographies below) are now available for download:

• David D. Herring, Communications Program Director, U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Climate Program Office
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• Prof. Dr. Helga Kromp-Kolb, Head of the Institute of Meteorology, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences
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• Prof. DDr. Arno Scharl, Vice President and Head of Department, MODUL University Vienna, Department of New Media Technology
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• Dr. David Stainforth, Senior Research Fellow, London School of Economics, Grantham Research Institute
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• Moderator: Thomas E. Bowman, MA, President of the Bowman Design Group and Founder of the Climate Solutions Project
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Researchers from MODUL University Vienna participated in this year's European Cities Marketing (ECM) annual conference held from June 9 to 12 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Participation in expert groups and workshops indicates the well-established cooperation between ECM and MODUL University Vienna, based on over 13 years of involvement by Prof. Karl Wöber in the organization.

In the long run, city holidays and weekend breaks will continue to be a vibrant and growing segment of the global tourism market. When the editors’ first book on analyzing city tourism was published in 1997, tourism marketing still had to prove its ability to utilize advanced research techniques and sophisticated analytical tools. More than a decade later this is taken for granted and no educational program of international significance would do without such methodology.

European Cities Marketing (ECM), the leading network of city tourism organisations in Europe, launched the sixth edition of the European Cities Marketing Benchmarking Report on June 11th, during its Annual Conference in Las Palmas. The report, which was developed by MODUL University Vienna, includes the latest figures about the performance of European Cities in 2009 and illustrates the main trends in city tourism between 2004 and 2009 from 101 European cities.

Social Media Marketing - Hands On!
MODUL University Vienna 6th semester students just finished an applied online marketing project in cooperation with the Vienna Tourist Board (www.vienna.info). The students who took part in the e-Marketing seminar designed a social media campaign which covers prominent social networks such as facebook, youtube, twitter and flickr. The aim of the campaign is to present Vienna to an international audience of young travelers and show what Vienna has to offer beyond prestigious imperial heritage sights.

On Thursday the 27th of May, students of MODUL University Vienna celebrated the 1st International Day @ MU, together with around 150 business partners, faculty & staff members as well as representatives of Vienna-based Embassies. The generated proceeds of the event's food & drinks sales were donated towards the reconstruction of Haiiti.

While some are discussing the need for new education offensives others are becoming active, particularly when it concerns such strong business partnerships as ERSTE Group and MODUL University Vienna. ERSTE Group will finance a total of 20 scholarships for employees of international partner companies. This week Rupert Dollinger, ERSTE Group’s HR Group Head, accepted the university’s official “Gold Sponsor” plaque, handed over by Alexander Bari (Business Development, MODUL University Vienna).