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sioner, Viviane Reding, to discuss how to encourage more young women to follow careers in business. Red- ing spoke at a meeting organized by the Global Tele- com Women's Network, McKinsey & Company, and EDHEC Business School, which has multiple locations in France, England, and Singapore. Other schools par- ticipating in the event were Cambridge, Erasmus Uni- versity, ESMT, IESE, IMD, the University of St. Gallen, London Business School, and Oxford University. Reding called for companies to pledge to voluntarily increase the number of women on corporate boards to 30 percent by 2015 and to 40 percent by 2020. To make that goal, she notes, they need the full support of the region's business schools. "Business schools help shape the minds of future leaders. It is here that young women and men get inspiration for their business careers," she says. "We all have to make sure that our female talent considers this route in the first place." Snapshot of Latinos in Education DESPITE DEMOGRAPHIC shifts across the United States, a limited number of Latinos are earning college degrees, according to a report released last fall by the College Board Advocacy & Policy Cen- ter. While Latino youth now represent the largest minority group in K–12 U.S. schools and are the fastest-growing segment of students, Latino college completion stands at just 19.2 percent—far below the national average of 41.1 percent. "The College Completion Agenda Progress Report 2011: Latino Edition" and the State Policy Guide contain in-depth findings about the prog- ress of Latino students and recommendations for addressing the challenges they face. "Latinos understand well the impor- tance of higher education. For many, it is the most accessible method to making the 'American dream' a reality," says Delia Pompa, vice president for education at the National Council of La Raza, which part- ners with The College Board and Excelencia in Education to create the policy guide. Find out more at completionagenda.college board.org/latino/reports. Portrait of an EMBA Student DESPITE THE tough economic conditions, the qual- ity of EMBA students remains high, according to the 2011 Membership Program Survey conducted by the Executive MBA Council, based in Orange County, Cal- ifornia. Every metric that reflects the type of student attending EMBA programs was up in the 2011 survey, for which data was collected last summer. Nearly 290 member programs participated. The survey produced findings in a number of areas: n Student caliber. Today's students have slightly more managerial experience—8.5 years, compared to 8.3 in 2007. They also have more work experience, 13.3 years compared to 13 in 2007. The average GPA remains constant at 3.2. n Tuition. The percentage of students receiving full financial sponsorship from employers has declined from 34 percent in 2007 to 27 percent in 2011, but 36 per- cent of students now receive partial reimbursement, up from 34 percent in 2007. At the same time, total pro- gram cost has increased 23 percent in the past five years. n Program structure. The average program is 20 months long and enrolls 42 students with an average age of 37.1; of these, 75 percent are male. Sixty-six percent of programs require an international trip, with China being the most popular destination. The number of trips to Turkey and Chile has quadrupled since 2007. The percentage of program content deliv- ered online has remained constant at 7 percent, but programs providing online content are increasing their asynchronous delivery. n Alumni outreach. Schools are hosting more alumni events, using social networking to connect for- mer students, expanding alumni career services, and leveraging or founding alumni committees or boards. More information about the organization can be found at www.executiveMBA.org. BizEd January/February 2012 11