Known for its reputation for academic excellence and cultural diversity, the University of St. Thomas has long been a destination for students of international origin. In 2008, St. Thomas was home to 237 international students from 58 countries. Our graduates have found success in locations spanning the globe.

Among UST’s global graduates is Muzaffer Basbudak, a native of Istanbul, Turkey. Basbudak earned a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in finance and international trade from UST’s Cameron School of Business in 1991.

Over the last two decades, Basbudak has built a career in finance, serving as the finance director for Reckitt Benckiser Turkey since 1999. Reckitt Benckiser is a multinational corporation known for household products such as Lysol, Woolite, Air Wick, Clearasil, Mucinex and French’s Mustard.

In 1989, Basbudak came to Houston upon the recommendation of some fellow Turkish friends who were on an exchange program at M.D. Anderson. With an undergraduate degree in economics, Basbudak searched for MBA programs in Houston, and found UST to be the best fit.

“An MBA from a reputable American university is the golden key to find a good job,” Basbudak said. “At that time – long before the era of the Internet – the world was not so small, and it was a big decision for me to travel from Istanbul to Houston to work toward an advanced degree. It was worth it.”

While at UST, Basbudak immersed himself in University life – living on campus, taking a part-time job in the UST maintenance department and developing close relationships with his professors. Most notably, Dr. Hassan Mohajer Shirvani, professor of economics and finance, helped Basbudak secure a scholarship and served as his faculty mentor. 

Basbudak said his UST education gave him a solid finance background, taught him to challenge himself and how to think analytically.

“I truly appreciated the quality of education at UST because the MBA curriculum combined theoretical studies with case studies which prepared us for the real business world,” Basbudak said. “I had bright classmates from all over the world – some fresh from college, and some were working at the corporate and executive level. This fueled intellectual discussions about a variety of topics.

“When I think of UST and Houston, I have many good memories,” he said. “As an executive today, I am participating in educational days at different universities in Istanbul. I frequently recommend UST to students because, to me, UST represents an outstanding quality of education where international students will feel at home.”