Business Services Industry

Yale School of Management to Offer Leadership Development Program for College Juniors and Seniors and Recent College Graduates

Business Wire, Oct 15, 2008

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- The Yale School of Management (Yale SOM) has announced a new offering, the Pre-MBA Leadership Program for promising college undergraduates, as well as recent college graduates already in the workforce, who are interested in developing their leadership skills and exploring careers in business.

The annual, two-week summer program will accept up to 50 rising college juniors and seniors of color, other undergraduates who actively support diversity and inclusion in business, and recent college graduates. The application for the first session, to be held June 14-27, 2009 on the Yale School of Management campus in New Haven, Connecticut, will open on November 3 on the program website: http://som.yale.edu/premba. Applicants must submit two essays, two letters of recommendation, college transcripts, and test scores. Tuition, room and board, program materials and application costs will all be covered by Yale SOM. A nominal enrollment fee, which will be refunded following successful completion of the program, will be required. Students will only be responsible for their travel expenses to and from New Haven.

The Yale School of Management, which introduced an innovative, integrated MBA curriculum in 2006, is also known for the distinct leadership model it seeks to instill in all of its graduates. This leadership model places an emphasis on developing broadly engaged, inspiring leaders who apply their management training to solve challenging problems in both business and society. In keeping with this, the Pre-MBA Leadership Program will focus on developing the individual leadership skills that will be relevant whether applied in school, in the community, on the athletic field, or in the workplace. Students from liberal arts backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply, in addition to students from traditional MBA tracks.

"Our goal is for students to walk away from the program feeling confident in their leadership abilities and inspired about how they can make a positive difference in the world," said Shelley Clifford, Yale SOM's deputy director of admissions, and coordinator of the Pre-MBA Leadership Program.

The Pre-MBA Leadership Program curriculum is modeled after elements of Yale's integrated MBA curriculum and will be taught by Yale School of Management faculty. Participants will learn some of the fundamentals of business through sessions devoted to data analysis, economics, accounting, finance, marketing, and strategy. They will also develop leadership skills through exercises taken from Yale SOM's Leadership Development Program, the year-long program required of all first-year Yale MBA students. This values-based program is designed to help students reflect on who they are as individuals, what they value, and how to transform those values to achieve their personal and professional aspirations.

The program will also include field trips to corporations and business institutions such as the New York Stock Exchange, meetings with prominent Yale School of Management alumni in a variety of fields, networking receptions, and one-on-one assistance with resume development, job interview skills, and presentation skills to prepare for the job market.

For participants who decide to pursue an MBA, whether at Yale SOM or elsewhere, the program will provide advice on applying to business school and in-depth assistance in preparing for the GMAT in collaboration with Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT), a national nonprofit organization that develops African American, Hispanic, and Native American young people for leadership in positions in corporations, nonprofits, and entrepreneurial ventures, where these groups are dramatically underrepresented. More information about the Pre-MBA Leadership Program can be found on the program's website: http://som.yale.edu/premba.> "We're tremendously excited by this new leadership program at Yale SOM," said Joel M. Podolny, Dean of the Yale School of Management. "In many ways, this is a logical evolution in our school's long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion, not only in graduate management education, but also in the workplace. I'm grateful to our faculty and staff, and also to John Rice and our partners at Management Leadership for Tomorrow, who have all been essential in putting this program in place."

Prospective applicants may contact Zachary White, assistant director of admissions at the Yale School of Management, at 203-432-5635 or premba.leadership@yale.edu, with any questions about the program or the application process.

The mission of the Yale School of Management is to educate leaders for business and society. Founded in 1974, it is the youngest of Yale University's professional schools. The school offers a two-year full-time MBA degree, an MBA for Executives program tailored for healthcare professionals, a PhD program, and executive education programs. In 2006, Yale introduced an innovative integrated MBA curriculum designed to better meet the challenges of contemporary organizations. For more information about the Yale School of Management curriculum visit: www.mba.yale.edu/curriculum.>