Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/54913
and efficiency. At Vanderbilt, we host programs like our annual Partner Day, where prior students and their spouses remind new students of great inventions like paper plates and dry cleaners—outsourcing at its best. We've also hosted a leadership development session with the executive coach of our EMBA program, Darin Rowell of 10.90 Consulting, on "Time Management versus Capacity Management." I'm encouraged when I see other business schools finding ways to accommodate women. For instance, Columbia University now offers a Saturday-only option for its EMBA program. The Judge School of Business at the University of Cambridge was high- lighted in a recent Financial Times article for allowing a pregnant student to attend executive MBA classes by videolink. These are good solutions, but I'd like to challenge my business school peers to devise other ways to attract women to their EMBA programs. Here are a few that I've found useful: Team up with other organizations. Such collabo- rations help women network and boost the school's recruiting. At Vanderbilt, we partner with Women in Technology of Tennessee to host a monthly gathering. I always invite an alum to give a two-minute overview of the value she derived from her graduate studies. Identify role models and mentors who are already enrolled. At Vanderbilt, all first-year EMBA students are paired with second-year students. Our Women's Business Association offers a speaker series that helps build those connections by emphasizing the importance of networking. The women in this group also host social events like the "Fashion for a Pas- sion" fund raiser, which showcases the latest styles in business attire while raising money for the inter- national nonprofit Dress for Success. In addition, we frequently invite prominent female business leaders to speak to the group. Help women strike a sensible work-life-school balance. Offer programs for working professionals that emphasize time management, stress management, Show women how to get employers to value their work. Research has shown—and I have found personally—that women are more reluctant than men to make demands on their organizations. Business schools need to teach them how to advocate for them- selves in proactive, appropriate ways. One method is to pair prospective students with women who were successful in negotiating raises and funding for their degrees. Another is to host work- shops, webinars, and other coaching opportunities that help women have those difficult conversations with their bosses. For example, our executive coach has led a workshop on "Developing Trust Through Powerful Conversations." Help women overcome the cost barrier. Women seem more reluctant than men to go into debt for their degrees, yet most EMBA students today are self-funding their educations, predominantly through loans. Schools should provide access to scholarships and host events on how to apply for government edu- cational loans. They also should clearly communicate ROI data, such as the pre- and post-MBA income of recent graduates. While I outline the strategies Vanderbilt has used to attract women to our school, most of them can be used to appeal to any working professional who has hesitated to pursue a higher education degree. But my point remains the same: If business schools truly want to enroll more members of a certain demographic, they need to remove the barriers those individuals perceive. They need to change the focus of prospective students from worry about the time and financial investment to excitement about how an MBA program can boost their careers and enrich their lives. Tami Fassinger is associate dean of executive education for the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt Uni- versity in Nashville, Tennessee. She writes a blog about execu- tive business education, time management, and other topics at vanderbiltemba.blogspot.com. BizEd May/June 2011 75 CLAUDIA GOEPPERL/GETTY IMAGES