MBA Students Pledge Signing Bonuses For Diversity Scholarship

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA -- Eleven second-year MBA students in Penn State's Smeal College of Business recently pledged portions of their signing bonuses to a scholarship that advances diversity at Penn State. The amount totals $16,000 and it is going to the "Vernis Welmon Endowment For MBA Minority Affairs And International Programs. " The 11 students are members of the Minority MBA Association in Penn State's Smeal College of Business and graduate in May.

The endowment is named in honor of Vernis Welmon, assistant to the dean for Diversity Enhancement and International Programs in Smeal College. It was established in 1999 through a $100,000 pledge by Smeal College alumnus Harvey Kimmel (BS'64) and his wife, Virginia. Since that time, members of the Minority MBA Association in Smeal College have pledged portions of their signing bonuses and starting salaries to it.

"On a personal level, I am honored by their gift and very, very proud of their willingness to share their success with others. This gift is also a testament to how highly they value the Smeal MBA Program. By offering to help defray the cost of graduate education for future students at Penn State, this gift serves as a ringing endorsement of the new Smeal MBA curriculum," says Dr. Welmon.

Dr. Welmon is recognized as a key to the development of ethnic diversity in The Smeal College MBA Program over his 19-year tenure. He is a popular teacher of international business and has been honored for his outstanding student advising. The programs of recruitment, retention and alumni relations that he has led have benefited hundreds of minority MBAs and have contributed to Smeal's national reputation for leadership in these efforts. He also has undertaken similar work as part of University-wide committees.

"I think it is crucial for any MBA program to attempt to attract a group of bright, talented, and diverse candidates to enrich each person's academic, personal, and social experience. An MBA program should resemble the 'real world' for which it is preparing us. I realize that I have a financial responsibility to 'aid' in the recruitment of these highly talented individuals. This fund ensures that there are resources available to further the recruitment effort of minority candidates. I believe the entire Smeal MBA community benefits from the diversity of the student body. I know I have," explains Michana L. Johnson, a second-year MBA student who contributed to the fund.

Lisa Vollowitz notes that Vernis Welmon was one of the first people she met when attending Diversity Appreciation Weekend several years earlier..

"He passionately expressed what the Minority and International Associations meant to him, alumni, and the program, that I instantly knew I had to be a part of it. I feel that giving back to this fund is a way to insure future students have the same sense of history and community that I have experienced while at Smeal," says Vollowitz.

The students who contributed to the fund include: Yvonne Baines; Andrea Browne; Ronald Dubois; Victor Franklin; Nathaniel Goins; Michana Johnson; J. Randall Lewis; Patricia Paz; Jacqueline Rivera; Edwin Sikola; and Lisa Vollowitz.

The students presented their pledges during Diversity Appreciation Weekend 2002.