The parent university’s Fairfield campus is still operational in the US state of Connecticut. The university’s decision to establish a “digital campus” does not sit well with everybody.
The announcement came as a surprise in May 2022: After 30 years in the Grand Duchy, the Sacred Heart University in Kirchberg was to close its doors on 1 July. The approximately 100 students were told that they would be able to complete their Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme online. The university had decided that it would no longer offer classes in the rooms of the Chamber of Commerce.
Markus Muller, who worked for the university as a professor in management and oversaw its strategy in the Grand Duchy, told our colleagues from RTL Radio that he did not understand the actual reason for the closure.
The university cited economic reasons at the time, but Muller doubts that this was actually the case, pointing out that “we made profit and therefore it could not have been the economic factor”.
In response to a written enquiry, the US-based university claims that students can now enrol in the courses “from anywhere,” which is “the ideal way to learn from financial experts from Europe and the United States.” The university is currently in talks with a university in Liège to accommodate those students who insist on in-person instruction and do not want to relocate to the US, according to Muller.
However, for many students that is not really an option either. A large number of them studied parallel to their jobs, Muller explained, adding that the student’s profiles were “diverse” with over 40 nationalities. Muller recalls that his last class that graduated consisted of “39 students from 30 or 36 countries”.
When asked about the reimbursement of tuition fees – which, depending on the degree, might total up to €40,000 – the university replied that students could receive a 40% study credit.
The Grand Duchy’s financial centre will suffer with the closing of the Luxembourg campus of the Sacred Heart University, according to the former professor.
Muller stated, “I believe Luxembourg needs an established business school.”
The dilemma at hand, according to Muller, is how to fill the gap left by the university’s departure in the short-term.
