Graduate Student Programs

The Power of Access: Impact Lending to Underserved Communities (FIN 579)

Do you want to gain valuable career skills and expand your professional network through this unique opportunity for hands-on experience in financial consulting? Consider applying for our MBA Lending Course entitled The Power of Access: Impact Lending to Underserved Communities (FIN 579), this winter.

Class Purpose: Engage our MBA students in working with small BIPOC businesses to gain access to business loans. Teams of students will perform financial assessments, risk analyses, forecasts and create loan packages for these businesses to submit Commerce Bank for approval. In addition to helping businesses secure debt financing, MBA students will learn about how systemic bias can play into the gaps in access to capital.

Class Goal: Perform complete analyses of BIPOC businesses seeking debt financing, working with business owner(s) to project future financing needs over the life of the loan. Once this work is completed, students will complete Commerce Bank loan packages for a select group of businesses to the Commerce Bank for approval.

Winter Quarter Class Times:
Tuesdays, January 3, 2023 – March 14, 2023
6:00pm – 8:50pm

Class Instructor: Michelle Purnell-Hepburn

Application Based Course
Practical Experience Credit
4 Credits

Program Timeline

Applications Due: Rolling basis
Program Begins: Jan 3, 2023
Program Ends: March 14, 2023
PROGRAM COST: Free
Application Link:

Apply now

For more information, contact:

Kennedy Cockrel, Assistant Director
Consulting & Business Development
[email protected]

Graduate Student Programs

Ascend Fellowship

Ascend Fellows will work with Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) during the 2023-2024 academic year. Each MBA Ascend Fellow will work with 1 or 2 companies and complete a project that will take approximately 50 hours of work per company over a six-month period (October 2023-March 2024). These MBA Ascend Fellows will also connect with other MBA Ascend Fellows nationwide in support of the Consulting and Business Development Center’s Ascend National Cohort. Strong candidates for this position will be those with interest or experience in business consulting.

MBA Ascend Fellows can receive a stipend ($1,500 per company) or practical experience credit (2 credits per quarter).

Duties

• Work with C-suite leaders to develop and implement solutions to operations, financial management, supply chain, technology, and marketing challenges. This work will help MBEs develop and implement strategies and capabilities to support enterprise-wide decision-making that will lead to measurable improvements. MBA Ascend Fellows will also be paired with business coaches supporting these businesses.
• Analyze issues, interview staff, formulate and make recommendations, and help MBEs implement leading practice solutions.
• Leverage a ‘business first lens’ across functional and industry topics to shape strategic agendas, drive enterprise transformations, and deliver innovative solutions to clients. And have a passion for tackling a variety of business, technological, and organizational challenges head-on.
• Work both independently and collaboratively with a team.
• At the end of the program:
  • Students will receive critical constructive feedback head-on. Work they have done over the last six months with the assigned businesses.
  • Students are required to conduct an oral presentation and submit a written deliverable to their assigned businesses after their projects.

Qualifications

• A critical thinker, tech-savvy innovator, entrepreneur, and purpose-driven leader who thrives in ambiguity and enjoys working in a team environment.
• Strong written and oral communication skills and professionalism with co-workers and customers.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, spelling, grammatical and proofreading abilities.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products (Excel, Word, Outlook) and other presentation/ analysis tools.
• Must be a self-starter with great initiative, multi-tasking activities, customer service, and problem-solving skills.
• Able to meet deadlines and work under pressure.
• Experience working with business owners of color.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without needing employer sponsorship, now or at any time.

Timeline
February 28: Application Opens

May 1: Application Closes

May 5: Applicants will be notified if they are selected for an interview.

May 8 – 11: Interviews

May 15: Fellows selected and notified.

May 22 – 26 (exact date TBD): Welcome Session I (In-Person at UW Foster)

September 5 – 8: MBE matching

September 18 – 22: Matching announced.

September 25- 29 (exact date TBD): National Cohort Opening (meeting MBEs) In-person.

October – May: Progression and completion of the Fellow’s Project. Fellows will be communicating with MBEs on the scope and requirements of their project- through remote meetings. Expect a mid-point check-in with CBDC and a final presentation at the end of the project.

End of May: National Cohort Closing (with MBEs) In-Person at UW Foster.

Apply
Fill out the application with your basic contact information, submit a resume and cover letter, and address your relevant experience.

Application

Contact
Martha Flores Perez
[email protected]