Corporate Diversity is Focus of Gathering for Fortune 100 Executives, Leading Business Schools and Top MBA Candidates June 26 - 29 in Minneapolis

Target is Lead Sponsor of Event Hosted by The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nearly 1,000 Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 executives, business school leaders and top MBA students committed to corporate diversity will attend the 45th Annual Orientation Program & Career Forum. The event, hosted by The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, will take place June 26 - 29 in Minneapolis. Among the attendees are a record 340 newly admitted Consortium students entering the MBA programs of the group’s 17 member schools this fall. Minneapolis-based Target Corporation, a 14-year supporter of The Consortium and one of its 70 corporate partners, is lead sponsor of the event.

“Diversity is not a minority problem; it is an American opportunity. The Consortium is proud to partner with so many major corporations and leading business schools who share this deeply held belief. We are grateful to Target for its generous sponsorship of this year’s event.”

The Minneapolis gathering is the culmination of a year-long effort by The Consortium’s member schools to identify African- , Hispanic- and Native-American and other minority and non-minority MBA candidates with stellar academic records and a proven commitment to diversity. In addition to welcoming new students the schools have awarded over $20 million in full-tuition, merit-based fellowships.

The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management is an alliance of 17 top American business schools and 70 major U.S. companies and the leading advocate for diversity and inclusion in American business. Since 1966 the group has awarded over $230 million in full-tuition, merit-based fellowships and helped more than 6,000 African- , Hispanic- and Native-Americans and others gain access to the best business education and professional opportunities America has to offer.

Said Consortium CEO Peter Aranda, “Diversity is not a minority problem; it is an American opportunity. The Consortium is proud to partner with so many major corporations and leading business schools who share this deeply held belief. We are grateful to Target for its generous sponsorship of this year’s event.”

The four-day gathering gives The Consortium’s corporate partners early access to the talented pool of MBA students while giving the students a jump on the recruiting season. Among the programs offered are panel discussions on brand management, corporate finance and other career options in a wide range of industries; professional-development workshops; and orientation sessions for incoming students of The Consortium’s 17 member MBA programs.