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Foster School of Business


Consulting Programs for Businesses

We offer business consulting programs ranging from 1-week to 7-months. During these programs, students and professional mentors work side-by-side with business owners on projects that improve the bottom line and stimulate new growth.

Our target: businesses owned by people of color, women, LGBTQ, veterans, and those located in under-served communities.

Business Management Consulting Program

Teams of 4-5 undergraduates, assisted by professional consultants from the nation’s leading consulting firms, major regional corporations, and the Seattle Rotary Club, work over 7 months.
Through more than 500 hours of assistance businesses receive accounting and financial management assistance, mentoring from business executives, and access to cutting-edge business management techniques that solve challenges and capture growth opportunities. This program begins each Fall and runs through May.

Apply

CONTACT
Gabriela Michan, gmichan@uw.edu, (206) 543-9545

Board Fellows Program for Nonprofits

The Board Fellows Program places MBA, MPA, and MSW students as non-voting board members of local nonprofit organizations. Nonprofits receive short and long-term benefits; gain new perspectives and ideas on key organizational issues, receive access to resources at the University of Washington, and build the next generation business and civic leaders. Student fellows attend monthly board meetings, join a board committee, complete a board-level project, and participate in seminars taught by UW Foster School of Business faculty.

Apply

BENEFITS

The program provides nonprofit boards:

  • Gain new skills and a fresh perspective from MBA, MPA, and MSW students
  • Experience recruiting and working with young leaders
  • Leverage student expertise to advance a special board project
  • A foundation for the next generation of board leadership

Nonprofit organizations host two student Board Fellows who will serve as non-voting members of the board from September through May. The nonprofit board appoints a board mentor who should anticipate spending about one hour per month to guide and coach the Board Fellow. Often the board mentor is a committee chair or other committee member that is working with the Fellow on their board project.

Please note:

  1. A Board member, the executive director or a designated staff member should complete the application.
  2. UW expects to have the capacity to partner with a total of 35 organizations and around 70 MBA, MPA, and MSW students for the 2019 – 2020 academic year.
  3. Nonprofit application period is mid-December to the end of February.

We appreciate the support of Wells Fargo Bank, UPS and the Neil and Nancy McReynolds Endowment for support of the Board Fellows Program.

CONTACT
Vy Nguyen, vyng13@uw.edu, (206) 543-3681
Sean Mitchell, sean1@uw.edu, (206) 290-1456

Summer Consulting Program

Businesses are matched with one undergraduate student and a professional mentor for this 10-week project that typically focuses on business plan development, financial analysis, or plans for expansion to a new market.

Apply

CONTACT
Wil Tutol, wtutol@uw.edu, (206) 616-1216

Summer Lending Program

Over 10-week period businesses are matched with students who assist in completing loan applications to present to nonprofit lenders including Harborstone Credit Union, Craft3 and Business Impact Northwest.

Apply

CONTACT
Vy Nguyen, vyng13@uw.edu, (206) 543-3681

'BIG' Consulting Program

Teams of undergraduate students and professional advisors solve short-term challenges or complete discrete projects over a 6-8-week period during each academic quarter.

Apply

CONTACT
Vy Nguyen, vyng13@uw.edu, (206) 543-3681

Consulting Challenge

Each year, MBA and Undergraduate students compete in a week-long competition to help real-world companies gain access to markets (customers) and capital to grow their firms. Similar to case competitions, student teams help their clients work through complex business issues and present a pitch to a panel of judges who are in positions to buy their clients’ products and services or provide capital resources for growth. The student teams will compete against other teams who have created similar pitches for the same business owner.