Students to help shape Nashville’s downtown landscape and create next must-have iPhone gadget

College students and recent graduates from across the country have converged on the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management for an intensive month-long business boot camp. The goal of the Accelerator Summer Business Institute, which began June 6 and ends July 3, is to offer an action-packed immersion into all areas of business, such as marketing, finance, real estate and corporate strategy.

Accelerator LogoStudents will work with top local and national companies in a competitive team structure to develop the skills they need to excel in the business world and land a meaningful job or internship.

Some of the projects include:

  • Create a redevelopment plan for a high-profile, 12-acre former industrial site in downtown Nashville in partnership with architecture, engineering and interior design firm Gresham, Smith and Partners
  • Design an innovative new iPhone accessory for Griffin Technologies, one of the world’s largest providers of accessories for personal computing and digital media
  • Create a way to effectively communicate Bridgestone’s "green" initiatives such as their environmental and outdoor habitat programs
  • Work with American Airlines to design and implement a new program to increase interest from small business travelers
  • Partner with Humana, one of the nation’s largest health benefits companies, to design a Hispanic health care program for South Texas
  • Identify ways Kentucky Fried Chicken (a division of Yum! Brands) can appeal to the emerging millennial generation

Accelerator runs June 6 through July 3. For more information on Accelerator visit http://www.owen.vanderbilt.edu/accelerator. To follow the progress of the Accelerator students and their projects, check out Accelerator faculty director Michael Burcham’s blog at http://accelerator2008.blogspot.com/.

Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management 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.

Media Contact: Amy Wolf, (615) 322-NEWS
amy.wolf@vanderbilt.edu

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