Consortium for Graduate Study in Management
A U.S. nonprofit network that advances diversity in management education and corporate leadership through MBA admissions, scholarships, recruiting, and employer partnerships.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, commonly called The Consortium, is a U.S. nonprofit educational organization created to increase the representation of African American, Hispanic American, and Native American professionals in business management. Its work centers on the relationship between graduate business education and corporate leadership: it collaborates with participating business schools, corporate partners, alumni, and applicants to expand access to full-time MBA programs and strengthen pathways into management careers. The organization emerged from research by Sterling H. Schoen, a management professor at Washington University in St. Louis. In 1965, Schoen observed that African Americans were absent from the management ranks of Fortune 500 companies. He concluded that leading MBA programs could help address this inequality by recruiting and preparing talented candidates from underrepresented communities. Schoen worked with educators, business leaders, and community figures to establish a cooperative university network. Washington University, Indiana University, and the University of Wisconsin were the initial participating schools, while 27 companies supported the early effort. The first cohort consisted of 21 African American men and attended the organization’s initial summer orientation before the 1967–68 academic year. The Consortium expanded its mission and membership over time. Women, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans became eligible in 1970, broadening both the applicant pool and the organization’s institutional reach. In 2004, eligibility was further broadened to include all U.S. citizens and permanent residents who could demonstrate a commitment to the organization’s principles of diversity and inclusion. The network subsequently grew to include major MBA programs across the United States, with Northwestern University becoming a member in 2023 according to the organization’s recorded membership history. The Consortium’s central admissions service enables applicants to seek membership and apply to as many as six participating full-time MBA programs through a common application. Admission to The Consortium and admission to a member school are related but separate decisions. Students who are admitted to a member program may receive a merit-based, full-tuition Consortium Fellowship from that school. Applicants who join The Consortium but do not receive a fellowship may still access membership benefits, networking, recruiting, and other services when they attend a participating program. A major annual activity is the Orientation Program and Career Forum. This intensive, multi-day event brings together prospective MBA students, business-school representatives, corporate partners, and alumni. It combines preparation, professional development, interviews, networking, and community-building. The event has become a defining part of the Consortium experience and a principal mechanism for connecting students with employers seeking diverse management talent. The organization is governed by a board of trustees made up of representatives from member schools, alumni, and corporate partners. Its network has included approximately 20 member MBA programs and about 75 corporate partners in the period described by the reference material. In 2015, the organization recruited a class of 420 MBA students and reported more than 8,000 alumni. The Consortium also recognizes contributors to its mission through awards named for key figures in its history, including Sterling H. Schoen, Peter C. Thorp, Wallace L. Jones, and Phyllis Scott Buford. Overall, The Consortium operates as a nonprofit intermediary linking graduate management education, employers, and diverse professional talent rather than as a conventional consumer brand.
History
The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management was established in 1966 after Sterling H. Schoen, a management professor at Washington University in St. Louis, studied the lack of African Americans in corporate management. His research in 1965 found that Fortune 500 companies had no African Americans in their management ranks at the time. Schoen believed that full-time MBA education could help change the composition of business leadership and began organizing a cooperative network of universities, employers, educators, and community leaders. Washington University, Indiana University, and the University of Wisconsin were the founding academic participants. The organization also obtained early backing from 27 corporate partners. Its first recruiting effort produced a cohort of 21 African American men, who participated in an intensive summer orientation before beginning the 1967–68 academic year. This orientation model became a continuing feature of The Consortium’s work. The network grew during the following decades. The University of Rochester and the University of Southern California joined two years after the initial formation. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill joined in 1973, followed by the University of Michigan in 1983, New York University and the University of Texas at Austin in 1984, and the University of Virginia in 1992. The University of California, Berkeley joined in 1993, withdrew in 2003, and rejoined in 2010. Dartmouth College joined in 1999, Carnegie Mellon University and Emory University in 2001, Yale University in 2008, Cornell University in 2009, UCLA in 2010, Georgetown University in 2013, Rice University in 2017, the University of Washington in 2018, Columbia Business School in 2021, Stanford University in 2022, and Northwestern University in 2023. A major institutional change occurred in 1970, when women, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans were included in the organization’s eligibility framework. This broadened the original initiative into a wider effort to improve representation in management education and business careers. In 2004, The Consortium expanded eligibility again to include all U.S. citizens and permanent residents who demonstrated commitment to its diversity and inclusion mission. The organization’s operating model combines centralized application services with decentralized school admissions and scholarship decisions. Applicants may use The Consortium’s common application to seek membership and apply to up to six participating MBA programs. Member schools independently determine admission and may award merit-based, full-tuition Consortium Fellowships. Students who attend a member school without receiving a fellowship may still retain Consortium membership and access networking, recruiting, and professional-development opportunities. The annual Orientation Program and Career Forum is the organization’s principal convening. The event brings together prospective students, alumni, school officials, and corporate representatives for preparation, interviews, career exploration, and relationship-building. In the period described by the reference material, the event attracted roughly 1,200 participants and operated as a five-day program. Leadership continuity has also shaped the institution. Schoen served as founding director until 1980, when Wallace L. Jones succeeded him and remained director through 1996. The organization later honored Schoen, Jones, corporate advisory leader Peter C. Thorp, and former leader Phyllis Scott Buford through annual awards. Buford is credited with modernizing the orientation program and expanding collaboration with corporate partners. The Consortium’s headquarters are in Chesterfield, Missouri, and governance is provided by a board of trustees representing member schools, alumni, and corporate partners.
- 2016
Fiftieth anniversary year
[1]The organization celebrated its 50th anniversary during the 2015–16 fiscal year.
- 2004
Eligibility expands to all mission-aligned U.S. citizens and permanent residents
[1]The Consortium broadened its admissions framework while maintaining its emphasis on diversity and inclusive management.
- 1980
Wallace L. Jones becomes director
[1]Jones succeeded founding director Sterling H. Schoen and led the organization until 1996.
- 1970
Eligibility expands to additional underrepresented groups
[1]Women, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans became eligible, broadening the organization’s reach.
- 1967
First cohort attends the inaugural orientation
[1]The first class of 21 African American men participated in the summer orientation preceding the 1967–68 MBA academic year.
- 1966
The Consortium is founded
[1]Washington University, Indiana University, and the University of Wisconsin formed the initial university network, supported by corporate partners.
- 1965
Schoen identifies a severe lack of African Americans in corporate management
[1]Sterling H. Schoen’s research into Fortune 500 management representation helped motivate the creation of a cooperative MBA-access initiative.
Products and positioning
A nonprofit diversity and inclusion platform connecting underrepresented and mission-aligned MBA applicants with leading U.S. business schools and corporate employers.
Admissions service
Consortium Common Application
A centralized application pathway through which prospective MBA students can seek Consortium membership and apply to up to six participating full-time MBA programs. The application simplifies the process of presenting a candidate’s academic, professional, and diversity-related qualifications to multiple member schools, while each school retains responsibility for its own admission decision.
MBA scholarship
Consortium Fellowship
A merit-based, full-tuition fellowship that participating MBA schools may award to admitted Consortium candidates. The fellowship is a central mechanism for reducing the financial barriers to graduate management education and is determined by the individual member schools after the Consortium application process.
Professional development and recruiting event · 1967
Orientation Program & Career Forum
The Consortium’s major annual gathering for prospective MBA students, alumni, member-school representatives, and corporate partners. Its multi-day format combines preparation for business school and employment, networking, interviews, career discussions, and community activities. The event is a principal bridge between MBA candidates and partner employers.
Employer partnership program · 1966
Corporate Partner Network
A collaborative network of employers that supports The Consortium’s diversity mission and engages with MBA candidates and alumni through recruiting, career forums, sponsorship, and advisory participation. The network is designed to improve the transition from graduate management education into corporate management careers.
Marketing campaigns
- 1970Expanded inclusion and recruitment framework
United States
The organization expanded eligibility to women, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans, aligning recruitment and scholarship activity with a broader diversity mission.
Outcome. The change supported growth in student participation and in the number of university and corporate partners.
- 1966Founding diversity-in-management initiative
United States
The initial initiative recruited African American candidates into leading MBA programs and connected participating universities with corporate supporters seeking to address racial underrepresentation in management.
Outcome. It created the cooperative model that became The Consortium and produced an initial cohort of 21 students.
Brand decisions
2004
Expand eligibility to all mission-aligned U.S. citizens and permanent residentsStrategyBackground
The organization revised its membership framework to emphasize demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion in addition to membership in specified demographic groups.
Action taken
Eligibility was extended to all U.S. citizens and permanent residents who could demonstrate commitment to The Consortium’s mission.
Aftermath
The change widened the potential applicant pool while preserving the organization’s diversity-focused purpose.
1970
Broaden eligibility beyond the original target groupStrategyBackground
The initial program focused on African American men, but the organization sought to address wider patterns of underrepresentation in management education and corporate leadership.
Action taken
The Consortium opened participation to women, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans.
Aftermath
The broader framework contributed to growth in the student body, university membership, and corporate partnerships.
Recent events
- 2023
Northwestern University joins The Consortium[1]
Other
Northwestern University was recorded as joining the network, extending The Consortium’s participating-school footprint.
- 2016
The Consortium marks its 50th anniversary[1]
Other
The organization celebrated five decades of work linking diverse MBA candidates, business schools, and corporate employers.
- 2004
The Consortium broadens eligibility to all U.S. citizens and permanent residents committed to its mission[1]
Other
Membership eligibility was expanded while retaining the organization’s focus on diversity and inclusion in business education and management.
- 1970
The Consortium opens participation to women, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans[1]
Other
The organization broadened its eligibility and mission beyond its original focus on African American men, accelerating growth in student, university, and corporate participation.
Sources2 sources
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