As part of a University of California program announced Tuesday, the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business will be the first UC campus to host undergraduate students from historically black colleges this summer in all-expenses-paid fellowships.
The Summer Institute for Emerging Managers and Leaders will aim to prepare business students to earn professional degrees, internships and other leadership positions in California through a two-week program at a different UC campus each summer. Haas will host the first session beginning this May, followed by programs at five other UC business schools in subsequent summers.
“Part of the purpose was to make opportunities available for California and the businesses that exist here,” said UC spokesperson Steve Montiel. “But also to attract students from historically black colleges and universities to UC business and management graduate programs.”
The estimated cost of the Haas program is $125,000, according to Montiel. Wells Fargo and Anthem Shield Blue Cross have each donated $50,000, and the UC is approaching other corporate sources to fund the rest of the money necessary for this summer and subsequent programs, he said.
First and second year undergraduates from historically black American colleges and universities are eligible to apply for the program. This year, 25 students will be chosen to participate in the program, which will last two summers. The goal is to have 50 students in the program each year, Montiel said.
The UC hopes to expand the program in the future to attract students from Hispanic-serving institutions. Currently, 5 percent of full-time MBA students at Haas are African-American, while 13 percent are Hispanic or Latino, according to Montiel.
In 2007, state Assemblymember Anthony Portantino, D-La Canada Flintridge, authored a bill to address the shortfall of racial diversity in the UC and has since worked with deans of UC business schools, which was the foundation for programs like this, according to Wendy Gordon, a spokesperson for Portantino.
“The UC folks say he advocated for it, but I like to say he brokered the deal,” Gordon said. “He helped engineer this alliance between the UC system and historically black colleges.”
Betsy Vincent covers academics and administration.
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