Graduate Diversity

MBA Student Support Services

Learn what it is like to be a Smeal MBA student. Examine our current class profile, student blogs, student organizations, and much more.

Minority Involvement Opportunities

Minority MBA Association

The purpose of the Minority MBA Association (MMBAA) is to add value to the Penn State community through continual diversity awareness and recruiting events. The MMBAA strives to create a sense of community by providing a strong support base for professional development and enhancing the academic experience of MBA students.

View the Minority MBA Association page for more details regarding minority MBA involvement.

Diversity Appreciation Weekend (DAW)

Diversity Appreciation Weekend (DAW) is hosted by the Minority MBA Association (MMBAA) under the guidance of Dr. Vernis Welmon, assistant dean for diversity enhancement at Smeal, with the assistance of the MBA program staff.

DAW is an opportunity for prospective students to gain valuable insights and information on the Smeal MBA program. The purpose of the event is to encourage qualified students to attend Penn State by familiarizing them with our facilities, faculty, staff, students, and alumni. The weekend involves interaction among prospective and current students, alumni, faculty, and staff. It also exposes prospective students to the culture, work ethic, and the demands and challenges of the MBA program.

2009 Diversity Appreciation Weekend

2009 Diversity Appreciation Weekend will be held the weekend of April 3-4, 2009.

2008 Diversity Appreciation Weekend

The annual mixer for prospective students, current students, and alumni took place Friday night. The prospects were able to acquaint themselves with past and present members of the Smeal community. The mixer provided an opportunity to catch up with old friends and to make new friends.

As anyone who has ever been involved with Diversity Appreciation Weekend knows, Saturday is the cornerstone of the weekend. This year, the annual diversity panel took place at the Atherton Hotel. Carl Asher, 2008-2009 MMBAA president, moderated the discussion. The discussion was seen as one of the highlights of the weekend allowing the prospective students to candidly address issues ranging from academic issues to cultural concerns. The alumni really showed their passion and support for the Smeal program by providing quality feedback for each of the questions. Among other topics, the education of the purpose and accomplishments of the MMBAA hit home with prospects and students alike.

The main event, the Divesity Appreciation Banquet, was held at the Nittany Lion Inn. The first speaker of the night was Dean Thomas. He stressed the importance of Diversity Appreciation Weekend to Penn State University. Carl Asher said a few words to outline the MBAA goals for the future, and then introduced the keynote speaker for the event. This year, the keynote speaker was Vern Taylor, a member of the Smeal MBA class of 1998. Vern has always been an active supporter of the program and it was a pleasure to have him share his thoughts. He currently works for the National Basketball Association, but his journey to the NBA was not easy. He shared his story of tenacity, and taught us not to take no for an answer if we have a dream.

The weekend lived up to the expectations set by previous classes of students. Next year, the event will commemorate 25 years of Diversity Appreciation Weekend.

The NBMBAA Career Fair

The NBMBAA Career Fair provides this unique opportunity annually for MBA students to build relationships with potential organizations to target within their job search, share their resumes, explore job opportunities, and informally interview with human resources and corporate recruiters. To learn more about this opportunity, log on to www.nbmbaa.org/conference_career.cfm#career

2007 NBMBAA Career Fair

On September 12-16, 2007, thirty-eight Penn State Smeal MBA students traveled to Orlando, Florida to attend the 2007 National Black MBA Association Conference and Career Fair (NBMBAA). This event was an excellent opportunity to network with representatives from large companies, connect with Smeal alumni, and interview for internships or post-MBA careers. Additionally, Smeal was well represented in the NBMBAA Case Competition sponsored by The Chrysler Foundation.

Case Competitions

Each year, a team of students represents the Smeal College of Business in the NBMBAA Case Competition. The competition gives our students the opportunity to recommend solutions to actual business problems before an executive panel.

2007 NBMBAA Case Competition

The 2007 National Black MBA Case Competition team was comprised of second-year students, Mohammed Mijindadi, Omar Moore, and Chris Thomas. Hosted by Chrysler LLC in Orlando, Florida, from September 13-17, this year’s competition dealt with the UAW (United Autoworkers) labor negotiations resulting from increasing healthcare, benefits, and retiree costs amidst growing foreign competition. The team had two weeks from the start of the semester to compile their strategy and compete against twenty-nine of the most reputable business schools in the world. The team presented a well-formulated business resolution strategy and advanced to the finals. The team also earned a finalist trophy for Smeal as one of the six finalists from the competition. The team was recognized by fellow competitors and Chrysler LLC representatives for their hard work and insight.

The National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA)

The National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) hosts an annual conference where attendess can immense themselves in various outlets ranging from exploring workshops to networking with professionals to landing their dream job. For more information, log on to www.nshmba.org.

2007 NSHMBA Conference

A dozen Smeal students traveled to Houston, Texas, for the NSHMBA Conference the first weekend in October. After two days of networking at the conference, we were ready to relax. How better to do it than with our extended family of Smeal alumni! On Saturday, October 6, 2007, Sherise Curd welcomed us to her lovely home in Houston. Sherise is a Smeal graduate twice over, completing her M.B.A. degree in 1997. A group of six MBA students and nine Smeal graduates were able to attend the event. We had a great time chatting about Smeal’s past, enjoying home-made fajitas and brownies, and watching Penn State football.