Skip to main content
Foster School of Business


Graduate Student Programs

Explore the opportunities the Consulting and Business Development Center has for you.

MBA Funding

UW Foster School of Business MBA students can take advantage of financial support through the Business and Economic Development Center to make a difference with multicultural businesses while strengthening business skills and rounding out the Foster academic experience.

African American Heritage Endowed MBA Fellowship
This fund awards an annual scholarship to an African American student at the Foster School of Business. The recipient partners with the Consulting and Business Development Center to provide consulting to an African American owned business in the Seattle area.

Ernest I.J. Aguilar Endowed MBA Fellowship
Named after the founder of the Washington State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, this scholarship was established as a partnership between the Latino community and the University of Washington. Recipients of this scholarship are required to spend 100 hours working with a Latino business owner from an underserved community in Eastern Washington.

You may apply for these opportunities through the 2018-2019 MBA Scholarship Application. Please direct questions to the MBA Program office at 206-543-4661.

Student Consulting Programs

Click on each heading to learn more about the graduate student consulting programs.

Board Fellows Program

Non-profit deadline
Non-profit applications open December 15, 2017. The deadline was February 9, 2018. Non-profits interested in the board fellows page should visit the Board Fellows Program for Non-Profits page.

Student application deadline
Application open February 26. The deadline is Monday, April 2, 2018 at 11:59pm. Candidates from diverse backgrounds are highly encouraged to apply.

Apply
The Board Fellows program places Foster MBA and Evans MPA students as non-voting board members of local nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit agencies participating in the program reach diverse communities and focus on a wide variety of causes, including education, social services, environmental issues, arts and entertainment, and health.

For students, the program provides:

  • Application of MBA & MPA skills in a real world setting
  • Increased understanding of organizational governance and the role and structure of a nonprofit Board of Directors
  • Expanded understanding of management in the nonprofit sector
  • Connections with local business leaders who sit on Boards
  • Opportunity for course credit (2 credits for fall, 1 credit for winter and 1 credit for spring)

Student Information Sessions
Interested in serving on a local non-profit Board of Directors for the 2018-2019 academic year? Come to one of the Board Fellows Program Info Sessions and learn more about how to apply your course work and professional experience to a great local organization!

Board Fellows Info Sessions:
Winter Quarter 2018:

  1. Monday, February 26, 12:00-12:45pm (Parrington Hall #309 Denny Forum)
  2. Monday, February 26, 4:45-5:30pm (Parrington Hall #309 Denny Forum)
  3. Wednesday, February 28, 12:30-1:15pm (PACCAR Hall, classroom 393)
  4. Wednesday, February 28, 5:00-5:45pm (Foster Eastside campus in Kirkland)
  5. Wednesday, February 28, 5:00-5:45pm (PACCAR Hall, classroom 394)
  6. Monday, March 5, 5:00-5:45pm (Foster Eastside campus in Kirkland)
  7. Tuesday, March 6, 12:30-1:15pm (PACCAR Hall, classroom 294)

Spring Quarter 2018:

  1. Monday, March 26, 5:00-5:45pm (UW Foster PACCAR Hall Classroom TBD)
  2. Wednesday, March 28, 12:30-1:15pm (UW Foster PACCAR Hall Classroom TBD)

Board Fellows Important dates:

  • Feb 9: Non-profits applications due
  • Feb 22: Non-profits notified of selection
  • Feb 26-April 2: Student information sessions and 1:1 meetings
  • April 2: Student application due
  • April 9-10: Non-profits receive students’ applications and resumes
  • April 24: Non-profits submit their selections for student interviews
  • May 7: Students and non-profits will be notified if they are selected for the interview day
  • May 21, 12:00-4:00pm: Board Fellows Interview Day at UW
  • June 1-8: Non-profits and students notified of matches

Program Overview

The program consists of three main parts, board service, board project and the board leadership seminars.

Board Service
Students are expected to attend all regularly scheduled meetings of the board (generally monthly). It is encouraged that students also join a committee and attend committee meetings. This is especially important if the full board meetings don’t occur on a monthly basis. Students are non-voting members of the board, but are encouraged to participate in discussions and share their unique knowledge and perspective.

Board Project
Each board will be assigned two student board fellows and together the students must complete a board-level project for their nonprofit. Students will work with their board mentor to identify a project that is important to the board of directors, uses the fellows’ skills and furthers the work of a board committee or the board as a whole.

Board Leadership Seminar
The Board Leadership Seminar is intended to assist the student in maximizing their service to those selected organizations by examining the fundamental responsibilities of board members; the challenges faced by board members during these present times; ways boards shape the organization’s strategic direction; ways that board members can strengthen their organization’s financial management and stability; and the strengths and limitations of various board governance structures.

Schedule

September 2018 to June 2019. Students must be enrolled as students during this time.

Date Activity
February 10-April 2    Students apply for program
Monday, May 21, 2018    Student/Nonprofit Interviews (Matching Event). Interview times assigned between 1-4 p.m.
September Students meet with board mentor and begin attending board meetings. (students may begin earlier if available)
Friday, September 28, 2018
 Mandatory kick-off/training breakfast. Anthony’s Forum.
Fall Quarter 2018 Attend Board Fellows Seminar. (2)
Winter Quarter 2019 Attend Board Fellows Seminar. (2)
Spring Quarter 2019 Attend Board Fellows Seminar. (2) Complete Project. Fellowship ends May or June 2018.

See our list of 2017-2018 Non-profit Boards.

Contact

Vy Nguyen: (206) 543-368,  vyng13@uw.edu

Sean Mitchell: (206) 290-1456,  sean1@uw.edu

MBA Business Consulting

Foster MBA students have two unique opportunities through to make a difference in multicultural businesses while gaining business consulting experience.

Independent Study – Students receive credit for consulting work performed as an independent study. The Center offers connections to several companies as an option for students interested in working in a multicultural business environment.

Summer Internship Program – Each summer the center offers a small number of paid internships for MBAs to work with tribal enterprises in Washington and Oregon. MBA students conduct feasibility studies and write business plans that lead to company growth while contributing to raising employment for tribal members.

Consulting Challenge

Target is committed to working with suppliers that are local, diverse, and reflective of the economic makeup of the region. With this in mind, seven small local businesses have been selected to act as potential suppliers to Target stores. These businesses will act as clients to the student teams who will work with the owner to create a pitch promoting the client as a supplier to Target.

The student teams will present their pitch to a panel of judges. The judging panel will be comprised of professionals from Target as well as other professionals from the Seattle business community and the small business owner. In the first round of the competition, the student teams will compete against four other teams who have created a pitch for the same business owner.

In the Undergraduate Track, one winning team will be selected from each client’s set of teams. In the Graduate Track, two winning teams will be selected from each client’s set of teams. In the final round, each business owner will be represented by the winning team(s) from their particular track. There will be 6 clients and 24 student teams in the undergraduate track of the competition and 2 clients and 10 student teams in the graduate student track.

Register

Registration closes on Wednesday, February 20th, 2019 at 12:00 pm.

 

 

Cases Distributed

Thursday, February 15, 5:30-6:30pm in Paccar Hall 290

Virtual participation: If you cannot join us in person for the information session, then you can join virtually and we will send you a link that will connect you to the session. If you have questions during the session, then you can email them directly to Keisha Jackson, Assistant Director of the Consulting and Business Development Center. If you plan to utilize this option let Keisha know so that you can receive the case materials via email at 5:25pm.

Competition

Friday, February 23, 9:00am-2:30pm
More detailed schedule to follow

Teams

Each team will consist of three or four UW students. At least three of the four team members MUST be available for the presentation.

Awards

Top teams will each receive:
$500 per person (graduate students)
$250 per person (undergraduate students)

Contact

Keisha Jackson
lnjacks@uw.edu