MBA Insider's Blog

MLT Summer Seminar: Why it's worth the exhaustion

I'm happy to say that I have survived another MLT Summer Seminar! I say survived because it was a jam-packed weekend where we (my colleague Frankie Sandoval and I) interacted with 290 MLT Fellows and connected with our counterparts from other MBA programs. Before I delve further into explaining why the weekend was so exhausting, yet rewarding, let me provide some information on the MLT organization.

MLT is an organization that is focused on "equipping high potential minorities with the winning playbook and personalized coaching that allows them to reach their full leadership potential". MLT offers four different programs to their members and we work specifically with prospective MBA students through their MBA Prep Program.

The MLT Summer Seminar is a demanding weekend that begins at 7:00 AM on Saturday morning, goes all day, and then resumes on Sunday morning at 7:00 AM again. This year's MLT Summer Seminar took us to Boston over the weekend of June 19th - 21st. We had a great time meeting with MBA Fellows (as they are referred to), speaking with them about the general benefits of an MBA, providing greater insight about UCLA Anderson specifically, and helping to steer them in the right direction as they continue down the path to one day being active and successful students in an MBA program (hopefully ours).

The weekend consists of shared meals between MBA Fellows and school representatives, speed networking sessions, panels, and a school fair - every opportunity is an opportunity to connect and learn. In addition to everything that I just mentioned, Fellows also have to attend events organized by the host school(s), professional development sessions, and meet with their MLT coaches! This may all seem a little daunting but it's definitely worth the time invested. Fellows walk away with a greater understanding of why they want to pursue an MBA and how to go about reaching their goals; while school representatives walk away feeling excited about the work that we do and looking forward to hopefully having some of these accomplished Fellows join our programs in the near future.

Here we are, starting the day off right with a little continental breakfast and conversation.

If you would like to learn more about MLT, please visit their website.

Another Great Consortium Orientation Program (OP)

Last Wednesday I returned from another successful Consortium Orientation Program (OP). This year's OP was held in Phoenix so we had incoming Consortium students travelling from all around the US to join us.

Here is a picture of our amazing incoming UCLA Anderson Consortium students.

 

If you are not familiar with The Consortium, "The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management is the nation's largest diversity network, linking top tier students, leading MBA programs and corporate partners, including Fortune 500 companies." The mission of The Consortium "is to reduce the underrepresentation of African Americans, Native Americans and Hispanic Americans in education and business."

Now let's get back to OP. OP, as the full name indicates, is the orientation program that takes place every June for incoming Consortium students who will begin their MBA program in the fall. OP is more than just an orientation program, it's an opportunity for all of the incoming Consortium students from the 18 universities to come together, get to know their classmates from their respective MBA programs, meet incoming Consortium students from all of the universities, and grow personally and professionally through a series of seminars, workshops, and networking opportunities.

I always look forward to OP because it is the first event where I finally get to meet all of our incoming Consortium students. It's great to see our students bursting with energy and enthusiasm as they prepare to begin their MBA. It's amazing to see how quickly they bond with one another and start building life-long friendships.

The overall OP experience is always memorable, but one of the really memorable moments of this past OP was meeting Mrs. Lonnie Ali. Not only is Mrs. Lonnie Ali a successful business woman and entrepreneur, a very active philanthropist, and an ardent advocate for Parkinson's Disease research, but she is also a UCLA Anderson Alumna who volunteered her time to meet with our students. It was an incredible opportunity for them to learn about her story, her passion, and also get some advice as they begin their own journeys.

We were even fortunate enough to take a picture with Mrs. Lonnie Ali.

I'm looking forward to many more memorable moments at next year's OP!

If you support The Consortium's mission and are interested in learning more about the organization, please visit their website.

Announcing the Easton Technology Management Center

Big news today - we are thrilled to announce the launch of the Easton Technology Management Center at UCLA Anderson!  Quite a number of prospective students I speak with are interested in a career in technology, and the resources of the Easton Technology Management Center will provide even greater access to learning, research, and collaboration across UCLA and the tech community for all our students. 

From the UCLA Anderson website:

UCLA Anderson launches the new Easton Technology Management Center, thanks to gifts from James L. Easton totaling $11 million that will broaden the base of technology opportunities across the UCLA campus.

The new center expands the Easton Technology Leadership Program, established by Jim Easton at UCLA Anderson in 2009, that was designed to develop strong business leadership skills in students with engineering and technical backgrounds. The new Easton Technology Management Center expands the scope of the programs and offers students with both technical and non-technical backgrounds, as well as faculty, alumni and industry professionals, access to the latest innovations in technology management. Currently the program includes nearly 430 participants with 30% of the 2016 class interning at technology firms this summer.

It was Easton’s experience as a CEO, designing and manufacturing high-performance sports equipment, which first led him to recognize the need for business leadership education. His observations took shape with his first job in the aircraft industry and later at Jas. D. Easton, Inc., his father’s arrow manufacturing company, where he held several positions before becoming chairman and CEO of one of the world’s largest sports equipment manufacturers, Easton Sports, Inc.

“I saw a need for leaders in technology, engineering and manufacturing, with knowledge and talent to create innovative products, who would benefit from UCLA Anderson by learning skills in management, communication and negotiation to run their companies,” says Easton.

A UCLA graduate with a degree in engineering, Easton has been a generous benefactor to UCLA Anderson and across the university, has served on the UCLA Anderson board of visitors since 1988 and was named one of the founding members of Entrepreneurs’ Hall within the Anderson complex. Last year, he was awarded the UCLA Medal of Honor, the university’s highest honor bestowed on an individual for extraordinary achievement.

“Jim Easton has been a visionary, creating new education approaches at UCLA Anderson since he first joined our board, and later developed the Easton Technology Leadership Program,” says UCLA Anderson Dean Judy Olian. “With the creation of the Easton Technology Management Center, Jim expands the impact of his vision by positioning our students to lead and drive change in the rapidly changing tech landscape of California and the world.”

Guillaume Roels, UCLA Anderson associate professor and the new center’s faculty director, outlined the center’s strategic goals:

• To create a hub for innovative research and scholarship in technology leadership
• To increase program outreach and develop closer ties with UCLA’s engineering and medical schools as well as technology industry professionals
• To foster curriculum innovation in technology leadership