The STEM Path to the MBA: Innovative Recruiting

STEM Business Honors Courses
Sections limited to 35 students
Instructors:
Tenured business faculty
Non-tenure-earning business faculty with STEM background:
Chemical Engineer, MBA
Aerospace Engineer, Business Analytics, MBA
Mechanical Engineer, CEO, MBA, MS Engineering Controls, MS Accounting
Faculty mentor assigned to stay with cohort for 4 years of the program
Ensures continuity of contact, retention
Allows faculty to closely monitor student progress The STEM Path to the MBA<br>

STEM Business Honors Courses
Objectives:
Provide survey of various business disciplines
Intense exposure to innovation
Builds students’ confidence in their understanding of technical and business aspects of innovation
Provides unique understanding and perspective of business
Teach character strengths & virtues
Build network among students The STEM Path to the MBA<br>

STEM Business Honors Courses
Yearly Focus
Freshman Year
Business Disciplines: Leadership & Marketing
Innovation Skill: Business Modeling
Virtues: Wisdom & Knowledge, Courage
Sophomore Year
Business Disciplines: Accounting & Finance
Innovation Skill: Customer Development
Virtues: Humanity, Justice
Junior Year
Business Disciplines: Operations Management & Global Business
Innovation Skill: Customer Validation
Virtues: Temperance, Transcendence
Senior Year
Business Disciplines: Project Leadership The STEM Path to the MBA<br>

STEM Path to the MBAClass of 2016 31.6ACT 18.2%Minority 81.8%White 56.8%Men 43.2%Women 84%Engineering 16%Science 4.15HS GPA 22States 64Students 33%In-State 67%Out-of-State<br>

STEM Path to the MBAClass of 2017 31.4ACT 31.8%In-State 68.2%Out-of-State 78.3%Men 21.7%Women 79.7%Engineering 11.8%Science 4.11HS GPA 25States 134Students 8.5%Healthcare 10.4%Minority 89.6%White<br>

STEM Path to the MBAClass of 2018 31.6ACT 24.2%In-State 75.8%Out-of-State 67.6%Men 32.4%Women 83.4%Engineering 12.2%Science 4.09HS GPA 29States 255Students 4.4%Healthcare 14.9%Minority 85.1%White<br>

STEM Path to the MBAClass of 2019 31.5ACT 22.6%In-State 77.4%Out-of-State 67.9%Men 32.1%Women 86.8%Engineering 11.6%Science 4.09HS GPA 34States 305Students(431 applied) 1.6%Healthcare<br>

STEM Path to the MBAClass of 2019 – Breakdown of Science & Math Majors<br>

STEM Path to the MBAClass of 2019 – Breakdown of Engineering Majors<br>

STEM Path to the MBARetention of Class of 2016(as of May 2014)<br>

STEM Path to the MBARetention of Class of 2017(as of May 2014)<br>

STEM Path to the MBAProgression toward MBA Applications<br>

2 Students from Class of 2017 Seeking Patent
During freshman year, invented technology to reduce fuel consumption and brake maintenance expenses on tractor-trailers
Provision patent filing this fall
Crimson Startup Program
Teaches participants lean customer discovery based on NSF approach
Teams go on to develop prototypes and perform customer validation
Averaging 8 teams per semester for last 6 semesters
Over 600 new product/business ideas developed by STEM teams in 2013-2014
Students/Program becoming major attraction for corporate recruiters Student Accomplishments<br>

Avon/National Cancer Institute Breast Cancer Startup Challenge
3 UA teams composed of STEM MBA students, Hudson Alpha and Quest Diagnostics scientists, venture capitalists, medical/science entrepreneurs, attorney alums, and STEM, AIME, OTT directors
10 University programs selected nationally:
Duke, Northwestern, Wake Forest, Columbia, Texas Tech, North Carolina, NYU, Harvard, Rutgers, Dartmouth, University of Alabama STEM Path to the MBA
NCI Provides 10 patented technologies
University teams develop business plans for commercializing selected technologies
NCI to provide startup funding for top team in each of the 10 technologies
National Institutes of Health Neuro Startup Challenge Student Accomplishments<br>

Non-Profit Consulting Group
Providing consulting services to international NGO working to build schools for children and factories for women in Pakistan.
Quality Control, Distribution and Retailing, Business Model Performance
Founding “Innovators Anonymous” Student Organization
Provides networking opportunities for students especially interested in innovation, startups, and entrepreneurship
Sponsoring Startup Weekend events
Brings campus and community together for a weekend of innovation and entrepreneurship Student Accomplishments<br>

STEM Path to the MBA Advisory Board Provides feedback on curriculum, program structure
Assists us with identifying new opportunities for co-ops, internships, jobs for students
Provide themes for business model generation projects
Includes: ADTRAN, Alabama Power, Boeing, Brasfield & Gorrie, Eastman Chemical, Egen, Evergreen Private Care, Harbert Venture Partners, International Paper, KKR, Proctor & Gamble, Southern Research Institute, U.S. Army, Mercedes, Tektronix, NASA<br>

Working with experts on STEM Advisory Board to develop UA fund to provide seed funding for STEM students wanting to take inventions and new product ideas forward, for prototyping, proof-of-concept testing, and commercialization
Launching on pilot basis “CREATE Path to the MBA” track that would allow 28+ ACT/3.5 HS GPA students majoring in creative disciplines (e.g., drama, music, art, apparel design, textiles) to join with STEM Path students The Future<br>

The STEM Path to the MBA:Innovative Recruiting Success Southern Business Administration Association
Atlanta - November 2014<br>