For the first time in the history of the Vanderbilt Accelerator Summer Business Institute, a major non-profit, the National Civil Rights Museum, is teaming up with Accelerator students to get fresh ideas on how to raise their program to a new level.
Accelerator students will travel to Memphis to tour the National Civil Rights Museum on June 5 and work with the museum’s staff to take on three challenges, including helping to design an outreach campaign to get young people more involved in civil rights and the museum.
“We want to help bridge the gap between the Civil Rights movement and a younger demographic who is two generations removed from the movement to get them involved and ensure that segregation, intolerance and injustice continues to be challenged and ultimately changed,” said Beverly Robertson, president of the National Civil Rights Museum. “We are excited to have these students work with the real life issues that the museum is currently experiencing.”
Other major companies such as American Airlines, Lexus, Whirlpool, FedEx and HCA are just some of the dozens of organizations launching marketing, finance, sales, communications and other challenges to the Accelerator students during the month-long business program running May 26 through June 24 at the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management.
“The number of powerful companies interested in working with the students in the Accelerator Summer Business Institute is impressive,” said Owen adjunct professor of health care innovation and entrepreneurship Michael Burcham. “This is really a win-win situation for businesses and the young people involved.”
The Accelerator program is an action-packed immersion into all areas of business, from marketing to finance to real estate. In this four-week business boot camp, a select group of college undergraduates of varied majors – and those who have just graduated – will get a unique jump start into the business world.
Students will interact with leaders from Fortune 500 and other successful companies along with Owen Graduate School of Management faculty to develop the skills they need to land meaningful internships, jobs or prepare them for business graduate school. They will also have the opportunity to interview for a variety of internships with the participating companies following the program.
The Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University is ranked as a top institution by BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, Financial Times and Forbes. For more news about Owen, visit www.owen.vanderbilt.edu.
To learn more about the National Civil Rights Museum visit www.civilrightsmuseum.org
[A story on the Accelerator/National Civil Rights Museum partnership aired on Nashville’s NPR affiliate WPLN. To listen and see pictures of the trip click here.]
Media Contacts: Amy Wolf,(615) 322-NEWS
Amy.wolf@vanderbilt.edu
Allison Fouché, (901)-521-9699 ext. 292
afouche@civilrightsmuseum.org