Yale SOM Seeks Local Organizations to Receive Consulting Assistance Through New Management Clinic

New Haven, Conn., August 1, 2007 — The Yale School of Management invites local businesses and nonprofits to submit applications to receive pro bono consulting assistance through a new MBA course to be offered in fall 2007.

The Yale SOM Management Clinic will pair teams of second-year MBA students supervised by experienced faculty with a limited number of participating organizations. The goal of the program is to aid local organizations while providing a valuable learning experience for students. It is patterned on the clinical programs that exist at law schools, where supervised students address the legal problems of community members.

“The Yale SOM Management Clinic is an opportunity for our school and students to make a greater difference in the success of the organizations in the community and to expose students to the issues that confront business and nonprofits,” said Yale School of Management Dean Joel M. Podolny.

The program will select participants based on the following criteria:

• Organizations must be small- to mid-sized businesses or nonprofits that are established and not in the start-up phase;
• Have a challenging, defined problem or project that will engage students for one semester and allow them to make a meaningful contribution during this time period;
• Be committed to making employees available to the students on an ongoing basis from September through December to ensure the success of the project. To this end, organizations must be located in the areas surrounding New Haven to facilitate meetings. The program will consider organizations located as far north as Hartford, and as far south as New York City.

“We are looking forward to creating partnerships that will be mutually beneficial to local organizations and our students,” said Bruce Judson, a senior faculty fellow at Yale SOM who will run the program. “Whether a business needs help analyzing the viability of an expansion, or a nonprofit is looking for a plan to accomplish its social mission more efficiently, we encourage them to apply.”

Judson is one of the nation’s leading experts on entrepreneurship and a bestselling author, most recently of Go It Alone! The Secret to Building A Successful Business on Your Own. His work focuses on building successful businesses with limited manpower.

Organizations interested in being considered for the clinic may submit a brief statement of interest form online.

All applications will be considered on a rolling basis starting immediately and organizations are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Once the program’s quota of five organizations is reached, additional applications will not be accepted. All submissions will be reviewed, and where appropriate, applicants will be contacted with follow-up questions and to schedule meetings. Organizations that the program is not able to accept will be notified at the conclusion of the application process.

For inquiries, please contact Tabitha Wilde, Director of Media Relations (203.432.6010).