The statistics are staggering. When Don Thompson assumed his new title as CEO of McDonald's a couple months ago, he became only the sixth active African-American CEO at a Fortune 500 company, according to CNN. A 2011 report from Catalyst exposed that women held only 16.1% of corporate board seats, while women of color held only 3%. And this 2010 report from the Alliance for Board Diversity notes that together, African-Americans, Asian Pacific Islanders and Hispanics represented 33.7% of the total U.S. population, and that until U.S. companies "begin to reflect their shareholders, markets, and employees, they will fail to reach maximum potential as leaders in the global economy."
On the heels of Ashley's great post about the Forte MBA Women's Conference, I'd like to introduce two programs that champion diversity and inclusion in MBA programs: Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) and the Consortium.
MLT is a career development organization for underrepresented minorities, providing skills training, one-on-one coaching and unbelievable access to admissions officers and corporate recruiters alike. Aspiring b-schoolers will first go through the MBA Prep program, during which you'll spend time (lots of it) figuring out and learning to articulate your story. Short-term goals, long-term goals, why MBA, why UCLA Anderson? Upon submitting applications, fellows transition into the Professional Development program, which trains you to put your best self forward for summer internship and full-time recruiting. Fair warning: MLT was at times a lot of work! But it pushed me to a level of introspection and self-awareness that I wouldn't have reached otherwise. Nineteen months, sixteen assignments, four seminars and countless coach calls later, I can attack class and recruiting with confidence and the support of a phenomenal network that's only getting stronger.
Likewise, the Consortium promotes diversity and inclusion in American business in conjunction with member schools and sponsor companies. Prospective students can apply to their choice of seventeen member schools via a common application, though which the Consortium also awards merit-based fellowships. This past June, all c/o 2014 Consortium students convened in Minneapolis for Orientation Program, known affectionately as OP, for five really intense days of skills development, interviewing, networking and, of course, partying. Personally, my favorite part of OP was getting to know my Anderson classmates. Sounds mushy, but it's real. See, we even recently reunited in Manhattan Beach for some fun in the sun.
Soon we will bury our heads in textbooks and cases. But not today.
One of Anderson's fall application events is called Embracing Diversity. I'm proud to see the school live up to those words by embracing partnerships with organizations like MLT, the Consortium and Forte Foundation.
- Gregory Paige
(Follow me on Twitter: @gregorypaige)
