UC Accord with Black Colleges, Universities Announced

University of California officials today announced the inauguration of a fellowship program in partnership with historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) at a ceremony near Pasadena City Hall led by State Assemblymember Anthony Portantino.

The deans of two UC business schools unveiled details of a the “Summer Institute for Emerging Managers and Leaders,” saying it offers HBCU undergraduate students an opportunity to launch their business careers at UC.

For the inaugural sessions this summer at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, 25 participants selected from HBCU first-year and second-year students will receive all-expenses-paid fellowships designed to be career-building experiences.

The two-week fellowship will provide undergraduates with business development opportunities that will showcase MBA’s and other business graduate degrees at UC campuses.

“I am very excited about the launch of the summer fellowship for emerging leaders,” Assemblymember Portantino said.  “California needs to do everything it can to generate entrepreneurs and innovators.  Creating academic opportunities between the University of California and Historically Black Colleges and Universities is a creative way to connect talented HBCU students with our outstanding business schools.”

Assemblymember Portantino told the crowd of civic, educational, and business leaders who gathered that Joe Hopkins, Publisher/Editor in Chief of the Pasadena San Gabriel Valley Journal, was a driving force in the creation of the program.

“Today’s event is evidence of the efforts being made in education to bring together students from all walks of life,” said Hopkins.  “Students and their families expect the campuses to be diverse and to reflect the broader community.   This program will not only benefit the students from UC and HBCUs, but the community as well.”

The UC fellowship offers a two-week, all-expenses-paid training program for 25 first and second year students from HBCUs. The program will rotate through the University of California’s six participating business schools beginning with the first session this May at the Haas School of Business on the campus of UC Berkeley.  Each group of Summer Institute Fellows will learn from UC graduate business school faculty, CEOs, CFOs and other industry leaders.

“UC is extremely happy to encourage HBCU students to participate in a management program hosted by our outstanding and highly competitive business schools,” said UC Provost Lawrence  Pitts. “We hope the experience for those students selected to attend SIEML will aid them in successful enrollment in professional degree programs such as the MBA. We also will secure summer working internships as feasible to introduce students to a management environment and prepare them for active management and leadership positions.”

“The University of California is well known to be a global definer of innovation and impact,” Rady School Dean Robert Sullivan said. “The immense successes of the University are in part a consequence of its openness to diversity at all levels. SIEML is a next important step in community engagement – developing deep and sustaining partnerships with HBCUs and their communities that will take innovation and opportunity to the next level.”