Providing a vision of the future for diverse MBA candidates
Attendees between sessions outside the Luskin Conference Center ballroom’s pre-function area.
More than 150 potential candidates had an opportunity to learn first-hand what it’s like to attend graduate school at the highly-esteemed UCLA Anderson School of Management. The school’s Embracing Diversity Conference in November was held in part at the new UCLA Luskin Conference Center, ideally located in the heart of the campus.
The diversity conference, which was organized in partnership with the Riordan Programs at UCLA Anderson, the UCLA Anderson Office of Diversity Initiatives and Community Relations, UCLA’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and the Anderson Student Association, brought together prospective MBA candidates from across the country to meet with current Anderson MBAs and alumni who are, or were, members of the Black Business Students Association, the Latino Management Student Association and the Out@Anderson student clubs. The event aimed to show potential MBA candidates what makes the Anderson full-time and Fully-Employed MBA (FEMBA) programs top choices for students, as well as provided a clearer picture of what they could expect from these graduate programs at UCLA.
An on-site networking lunch was provided by the Luskin Catering Team.
Industry leaders were on hand at the event to provide a vision of what a career might look like for the prospective candidates, after earning an MBA at UCLA Anderson. After a welcome from Dean Judy Olian in the morning session, the prospective students had the opportunity to hear from individual companies that included AIG, Microsoft, PwC, E. & J. Gallo and AT&T, via corporate career panels, which were held in breakout rooms throughout the Luskin Conference Center. Attendees gathered in the Center’s Centennial Ballroom for an on-site networking lunch provided by the Luskin Catering team to hear from Google and, after lunch, from key UCLA Anderson corporate partners including Amazon, Danaher, Google, AT&T, PwC and Microsoft.
The conference also featured a real-world corporate case study from co-lead sponsor Danaher, an innovation lab from co-lead sponsor Microsoft, and dinner featuring Rick Welts, President of the Golden State Warriors, all held in the Centennial Ballroom. The following day at UCLA Anderson, a dean’s breakfast, mock class and alumni networking lunch were on tap for the prospective students.
Individual companies presented at the smaller corporate career panels.
Event organizers said that one of the reasons they chose to hold the conference at the Luskin Conference Center was because of its proximity to UCLA Anderson, which is just a short walk away, and the impressive venue it provided. The conference center also offered an ideal amount of versatile meeting space, both large and small, for various activities and breakout sessions. The Nobel Lounge, for example, served as a green room throughout the day for the company representatives and Anderson staff. And the light-filled Centennial pre-function area was host to a mid-afternoon networking break. Says Leah Brown, Luskin sales manager for the event, “The conference center is also brand new property,” an exciting novelty, which is always a big draw.