St. Thomas Aquinas College Students Explore Virgin Media

(May 8, 2013-Sparkill, NY) Five St. Thomas Aquinas College students took part in a one week intensive case study experience at the Virgin Media office in London, England.  Dr. John Durney, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, was the faculty mentor for the 2013 trip.

This specially designed case-study course provided the students the opportunity to study the operations and corporate challenges of Virgin Media, the largest broadband provider in the UK, and a substantial international communications company.  During the first part of the semester, the students met with the Chairman of the company and St. Thomas Aquinas College Board of Trustees member, Mr. James Mooney.  They examined strategies, customer social media "buzz," UK competitors, and technology developments before traveling to London where they had the opportunity to meet and interact with the executive leadership of the company.  The students reviewed each operational area, questioned the executives, and offered thoughts about how products and services might be expanded or improved.

When the students returned to the states, they prepared a formal presentation based on their examination of the company, their interaction with executives, and their assessment of products and services. 

“This experience has been a real enlightening one for the students and their time in London contributed a great additional perspective to the case-study” said Dr. John Durney, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.  “All in all, this has been an invaluable course for the student ‘team’, and they were exceptional representatives of St. Thomas Aquinas College during the study-trip to London”.

Through the generosity of Mr. Mooney, many of the costs of the study-trip were underwritten.  The students enjoyed the benefit of a virtual exposure to the company's leadership, and had the very special opportunity to gain first-hand insights about Virgin Media's operation and strategic planning.  As it turns out, the company was just acquired by another international telecommunications firm, Liberty Global Media (Denver, CO), and the students were able to query the Virgin leadership about the implications of such a "merger" in each of the operational areas. 

These students and their graduation year were: Paul Cirner '13 (Pearl River, NY), Liz Kaminsky '14 (Oakhurst, NJ),  Lauren Krakaur '13 (Pomona, NY), Penelope Montano '13 (Bronx, NY), and Celeana Triantis '14 (Warwick, NY).

St. Thomas Aquinas College is an independent liberal arts college located in Sparkill, Rockland County, NY which provides education at the undergraduate and graduate levels.  The College’s 2,700 full and part time students can choose from more than 100 different majors, minors, specializations, and dual degree programs across three schools: Arts & Sciences, Business, and Education. The College is recognized by U.S. News & World Report in the Top-Tier for Regional Universities, by Colleges of Distinction in both its New York and Catholic editions and is included on the Military Friendly Schools® listing. For more information, visit www.stac.edu.