Disturbing geopolitical conflict impacting AMS community

28 October 2022 - Update

On October 28th 2022, after a two year journey, our EMBA participants in Moscow graduate and receive their AMS diploma. In today’s conflicted world, it is not easy to “open minds to impact the world”. At AMS, we feel honored in having been given the opportunity to do so. We count on all our alumni worldwide to spread our shared values of global citizenship, inclusiveness and openness to the world and to contribute positively to our society.

While this is a moment of celebration for them, after a two-year journey, we should not forget the war in Ukraine. It is with sadness and revulsion that we observe not only the continuation, but also the escalation of the armed conflict in both scale and ferocity. As a school and as individuals, we condemn the aggression. There can be no justification for this war and our thoughts are with the victims and their families.

However, it is in difficult times like these that we must remind ourselves that we are first and foremost an academic institution. Our sole purpose of existence is education and spreading open-mindedness. Both our motto and core values are embedded in global citizenship, inclusiveness, and openness. We will passionately oppose and fight all types of prejudice, whenever and wherever they occur.

When it comes to our partnership with the Russian Institute of Business Studies, we have decided to discontinue all recruitment. There will be no cohort starting in Moscow this year and this situation will remain until there is an acceptable resolution to the conflict.

What we have not stopped is the commitment that we have been giving to all our students for over 60 years – which is the pledge that we will make every effort possible, to ensure that every student has the ability to complete their learning journey once they have joined AMS. Our students are our students, no matter where they live or originate from. This pledge holds and will hold irrespective of the student’s nationality, race, religion, or any other discriminatory criteria. As long as our students share our values, we will not equate any of them with actions of any government or political institution.

Hence, we continue to organize the learning journey for those AMS students who registered prior to the start of the war. Besides the graduating cohort of Moscow students who started their EMBA program in 2020, another 19 students who enlisted in 2021 are currently going through the program with a view to graduating next year. As for all our students, we are committed to make every effort possible to ensure the completion of their learning journey.

4 July 2022 - Update

The end of the academic year is here. While we have a lot to celebrate, we should not forget the war in Ukraine. 

It is with sadness and revulsion that we observe not only the continuation, but also the escalation of the armed conflict in both scale and ferocity. As a school and as individuals, we condemn the aggression. There can be no justification for this war and our thoughts are with the victims and their families.

However, it is in difficult times like these that we must remind ourselves that we are first and foremost an academic institution. Our sole purpose of existence is education and spreading open-mindedness. Both our motto and core values are embedded in global citizenship, inclusiveness, and openness. We will passionately oppose and fight all types of prejudice, whenever and wherever it occurs.

When it comes to our partnership with the Institute of Business Studies, we have decided to stop all recruitment. There will be no cohort starting in Moscow this year and this situation will remain until there is an acceptable resolution to the conflict.

What we have not stopped is the commitment that we have been giving to all our students for over 60 years – which is the pledge that we will make every effort possible, to ensure that every student completes their learning journey once they have joined AMS. Our students are our students, no matter where they live or originate from. This pledge holds and will hold irrespective of the student’s nationality, race, religion, or any other discriminatory criteria. As long as our students share our values, we will not equate any of them with actions of any government or political institution.

Hence, we continue to organize the learning journey for those AMS students who registered prior to the start of the war. And just like in Antwerp, our 2020-22 cohort in Moscow completed their master projects a few days ago.

We still have another 19 students who enlisted in 2021 and who should graduate next year. As for all our students, we are committed to make every effort possible to ensure the completion of their program.

In today’s conflicted world, it is not easy to “open minds, to impact the world”. At AMS, we feel honored in having been given the opportunity to do so. And AMS is even prouder of you and your involvement in propagating our values..

Yours sincerely,

Prof. dr. Steven De Haes

Dean – Antwerp Management School

2 March 2022
As a business school with its mission and core values centered around global citizenship, critical reflection and positive impact, we are witnessing with deep sadness the Russian-Ukraine conflict. First and foremost, our thoughts are with all our students, alumni, colleagues, friends and partners who are impacted by the highly disturbing geopolitical situation. While our solidarity goes out to the Ukrainians who are faced with tremendous uncertainty and suffering, it equally goes out to our Russian friends and colleagues who do not support the war.

Unfortunately, the current geopolitical situation puts this at risk, and imposes boundaries to partnerships across borders, even if these partnerships are meant to fuel development of individuals and companies, and are meant to generate positive impact to society. It imposes boundaries in practical and operational terms, but more importantly in terms of diverging value frameworks. 

We keep communication open with all our international partners. However, we are bound to temporarily suspend all operational activities relating to Russia, until a climate resurrects in which education and research is not overshadowed by political oppression.

As a global and inclusive AMS community, we stand together and will continue to connect beyond borders. Shared values of openness and respect are at the foundation of what we do every single day, and with a view to the future, we firmly believe that education and research can and should be catalysts for positive change and a thriving society.