Summer Programs Serve the Underserved

Business schools sometimes find that summer programs can help build diversity. The Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. IU’s Young Women's Institute enables women who are rising high school seniors to sample life in business school—and, ideally, build confidence in their ability to pursue a career in business. This year the program enrolled 36 young women. Working in teams, students analyzed a complex real-world business case and gave presentations of their recommendations. The program included workshops from top faculty members on such topics as accounting, international business, entrepreneurship, and strategic management.

With a week-long management training program for 79 students held in June, Harvard Business School recognized the 25th year of its Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP). Designed to help high-potential college students from diverse backgrounds get a taste for business and graduate management education, SVMP now boasts nearly 1700 alumni. SVMP attracts high-achieving students from families with little business education or experience, first-generation college students, and members of groups that are currently underrepresented in business schools and corporate America, including African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender communities. Students are nominated for the program by corporations where they have secured summer internships. Admission criteria include academic achievement and leadership potential.

Two other programs to note: the Whitman School of Management offered undergraduate students in liberal arts and other non-business majors interested in learning more about the business world the opportunity to participate in the Whitman Summer Experience in Business for Undergraduates (SEBU) in May. SEBU is a two-week program designed to expose high-achieving undergraduates to graduate programs and careers in business.

The Babcock Graduate School of Management at Wake Forest University offered an intense, three-week summer program to introduce basic business concepts to outstanding students from underrepresented groups. The program blends coursework with experiential learning opportunities and is designed for rising college sophomores, juniors and seniors who are non-business majors.

First Beta Gamma Sigma Virtual Graduate School Fair

Finding qualified graduate school candidates can be difficult. For business schools accredited by AACSB International, there is a new opportunity to attract candidates to programs. This September 15-28, the first Beta Gamma Sigma Virtual Graduate School Fair will be held in conjunction with the BGS Virtual Career Fair.

Beta Gamma Sigma inducts more than 14,000 undergraduates into lifetime membership each year. More than half of these students will eventually complete a graduate degree, so this is not only a very high-achieving group (top 10 percent of their junior or senior class), but also one very interested in AACSB-accredited graduate programs.

Beta Gamma Sigma will communicate with their lifetime members─those without a graduate degree─on behalf of the schools taking part in the Virtual Graduate School Fair. Graduate school administrators, faculty and others will have the opportunity to interact with high-achieving, lifetime members of Beta Gamma Sigma without leaving home or the office.

Any business school accredited by AACSB International can participate. For more information, go to www.betagammasigma.org/vcf/gradschools.htm. You can also contact Robin Bueler at rbueler@betagammasigma.org for more information and to register your school for the event.

Editor’s note: Those who mention seeing this article in Graduate Management News will receive a discount on the BGS Virtual Graduate School Fair registration fee.