TeamMBA Award

2008 TeamMBA Award Recipients

The Rotterdam School of Management class of 2008 students established the RSM International Charity Foundation to unite the efforts of all RSM classes and alumni to "help those in need to be able to help themselves." The focus of the Foundation is the need to support the education of underpriviledged children.

The Peduli Anak Foundation of Indonesia, the primary benefactor of the RSM International Charity Foundation, focuses on the education and shelter of "street" children. The Peduli Anak Foundation was founded in part by a full-time RSM student from the class of 2007.

The RSM International Charity Foundation's efforts raised in 140,000 Euros -- 7,500 Euros of which were raised in one single charity auction -- to help pay for teachers' salaries as part of the Peduli Anak Foundation education drive.

The RSM students believe that the spirit of competition among classes will sustain the RSM International Charity Foundation well beyond the class of 2008, and will continue to raise the standards of practice from year to year.

100% Owen is a student-led community service organization at Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management aiming to involve every Owen student in community service and fundraising events. Over the last year, 100% Owen coordinated student involvement in 14 volunteer and fundraising activities, including the participation of every incoming first-year student in a Habitat for Humanity build, and a silent auction raising US$10,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

Founded by Owen MBA students, Project Pyramid was uses sustainable business initiatives to develop creative solutions for global poverty. Inspired by C.K. Prahalad's The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, students engage in social awareness and volunteer activities, from organizing classes on poverty alleviation for students in every discipline to traveling to Bangladesh to directly apply these and other development practices.

The Owen Chapter of Net Impact hosted the 2007 National Net Impact Conference, and students worked to improve energy efficiency and recycling throughout the conference. The club enhanced recycling awareness among students and hosted a recycling drive during Green Week in March, and orchestrated the switch to energy-efficient lighting in classrooms.

Through these three student-run organizations, nearly all of Owen's 433 students participated in at least one volunteer event, fundraiser, or social service activity. Combined, they donated over 10,000 hours and raised more than US$15,000 for charities over 12 months of community service and cause-related activities.

About the TeamMBA Award

Is your school making a difference in your community? Are your students, staff, faculty, and administrators regularly engaged in community service or charity activities? Show your pride—enter your school for the GMAC® TeamMBA Award for Outstanding Community Service. This award is presented annually in June, in a ceremony at the GMAC® Annual Industry Conference, to a school that exemplifies the goodwill of the graduate management education community.

Entries will be reviewed by an award committee comprised of business school professionals. The committee will evaluate each entry based on criteria including:

• Participation—Number of participants from your school in community activities, categorized by students, faculty, staff, etc.      
• Effort—Total number of volunteer hours and/or total money raised for charities.
• Reach—Who benefited from your efforts?
• Impact—How did your efforts in each activity directly impact the community or charity?

Entry details for next year's award will be available in early 2009. For questions about the TeamMBA Award, please contact us at teammba@gmac.com or +1-703-245-4343.