Student Participants in “Apprentice on Steroids” Get Hands-On Experience with American Airlines, Bridgestone, Humana and Other Leading Corporations
June 4, 2008
Media Contact: Amy Wolf
Senior Public Affairs Officer | Vanderbilt University
(615) 322-NEWS | amy.wolf@vanderbilt.edu
NASHVILLE, June 4, 2008 – A group of the nation’s most ambitious undergraduates and recent graduates from a wide mix of universities, majors and educational backgrounds – including economics, engineering and liberal arts – will descend on Nashville this week for the 2008 Accelerator program, a month-long summer business boot camp at the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management.
Over the next 28 break-free, 12- to 14-hour days, 87 students will be working hand-in-hand with prominent companies on real-world business challenges and competing against one another in what has become known as “The Apprentice on steroids.” All have one goal in mind: polish their resumes with advanced business skills to gain a competitive advantage on the career front.
In its fourth year, Accelerator offers an action-packed immersion into all areas of business, from marketing and finance to real estate and corporate strategy. During the four-week crash course, this select group of young people will interact directly with leaders from companies such as American Airlines, Humana, Caterpillar Financial and Bridgestone and put their newly acquired business skills to the test.
Within a competitive team structure, students will tackle such challenges as:
·Working with American Airlines to design and implement a new program to increase relationships with and patronage from small business travelers;
·Partnering with Humana, one of the nation’s largest health benefits companies, to design a Hispanic health care program for the South Texas market;
·Devising the messages and mechanisms to effectively communicate corporate social responsibility initiatives at Bridgestone;
·Identifying ways that leading global food retailer Kentucky Fried Chicken (a division of Yum! Brands) can appeal to the emerging millennial generation of consumers;
·Creating a redevelopment plan for a high-profile, 12-acre former industrial site in downtown Nashville in partnership with leading architecture, engineering and interior design firm Gresham, Smith and Partners; and
·Designing an innovative and high-potential new iPhone accessory for Griffin Technologies, one of the world’s largest providers of accessories for personal computing and digital media.
Guided by Owen’s leading faculty and MBA student mentors, teams will present their solutions to these unique challenges to company executives, with the potential of seeing their ideas implemented. Amidst seemingly impossible deadlines and a robust roster of “accelerated” business coursework, students will also compete for a variety of impressive prizes from the participating companies as well as a highly selective number of internship opportunities with these organizations for the remainder of the summer.
“This year’s range of corporate participants and projects are a testament to the overwhelming demand for access to the best and brightest of this emerging generation of business professionals,” said Michael Burcham, faculty director of the Accelerator program and management professor at the Owen School. “The Accelerator experience offers these young people an unprecedented opportunity to launch head first into their future careers and build an impressive portfolio of work to present to prospective employers.”
Hundreds of candidates from across the country applied for coveted spots in this year’s program, representing a significant increase in the number of applicants from last year. For more information on the Accelerator program, please visit http://www.owen.vanderbilt.edu/accelerator.
Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management is ranked as a top institution by BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, Financial Times and Forbes. For more information about Owen, visit www.owen.vanderbilt.edu
