Undergraduate students from historically black colleges and universities and from Hispanic-serving institutions will learn about marketing and management skills as part of an intensive two-week program that the University of California, Davis, Graduate School of Management is hosting this summer.

The University of California Summer Institute for Emerging Managers and Leaders, which is a collaboration of UC’s six business schools, offers undergraduates the chance to learn the principles of business development, entrepreneurship and other key management skills. For two consecutive summers, students learn from internationally renowned faculty, take part in hands-on workshops, and develop valuable connections with high-profile industry leaders and their peers.

Fifty-four students were selected for this year’s institute, which runs from Aug. 3 to Aug. 15, with 24 returning and 30 new students. This year’s program will focus on innovation and how it affects every area of business. UC Davis also has scheduled sessions on marketing, business etiquette, and ethics along with visits to San Francisco, Silicon Valley and a community service project on August 9 at Sacramento Gleaners in Sacramento.

“Diversity is a source of strength and entrepreneurial growth. Embracing diverse backgrounds, thoughts, and perspectives is critical to succeed in today’s global economy,” said Steven Currall, dean of the UC Davis Graduate School of Management.  “The institute for undergraduate students will help develop the next generation of leaders who can help use their talents to drive innovation.”

Students are provided an all-expense-paid fellowship for the institute. The program is open to first-year undergraduate students from historically black colleges and universities and from Hispanic-serving institutions who are interested in business.

The program, which is in its third year, rotates through the UC business schools. The first session was in 2012 at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. Last year’s session was at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

The business schools’ investment in the institute illustrates their commitment to build a diverse student pipeline, said Alex Garner, a Hampton University junior majoring in business management.

“It’s paramount that top MBA programs have a class that is diverse because it allows for a dynamic learning environment to prepare students to excel in the real world,” he said.

Garner said his experience at the institute was invaluable because it affirmed his career goal of becoming a real estate lawyer and developer. Earlier this summer, he attended a program for students interested in law at Rutgers University School of Law – Camden, prepared for the LSAT, and interned at a real estate development firm. Now he’s heading to UC Davis for his second year of SIEML.

Another returning SIEML student is Cornell University junior Edgar Akuffo-Addo. He took the lessons, networks, and advice that he developed at the institute to found Global Success Fellowship, a nonprofit geared toward educational reform and social change in Ghana, where he was born and raised.

Akuffo-Addo, who is majoring in human biology, health and society, received a $10,000 Davis Projects for Peace grant to set up a poultry farm that can provide a subsidized source of protein to pregnant women and children in the Gushegu District of the Northern Region of Ghana.

Financial sponsors for this year’s session include Kaiser Permanente, Wells Fargo and Deloitte LLP. The sponsors host corporate visits, participate on industry-focused panels, conduct career development workshops and help provide internships.  

The other schools involved in the collaboration are: UC Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business, UC Riverside’s A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management, and UC San Diego’s Rady School of Management.