MEDIA RESOURCES

DATE: January 14, 2005

CONTACT: communications@mail.cox.smu.edu

SMU Cox Joins Management Leadership for Tomorrow to Boost Minority Admission to the Nation’s Leading MBA Programs

Dallas (SMU) – SMU Cox School of Business has joined Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT), an MBA preparation program designed to increase success rates for minority applicants and to expand minority representation at leading graduate business schools throughout the world.

Over a nearly 12-month period, MLT participants receive one-on-one coaching. Specific areas of emphasis include GMAT preparation, individual work-plan development and execution to address perceived strengths and weaknesses, school research and selection, industry research and career guidance, writing skills, interviewing skills, financial planning, and application/essay strategy.

The Cox MBA Admissions office will participate in program seminars and curriculum development, counsel participants, and promote the MBA preparation program to prospective applicants.In addition, SMU Cox plans to host a MBA preparation seminar in the near future.

“SMU Cox recognizes that a diverse student population further enhances the educational experience,” said Arrion Rathsack, Director of MBA Admissions. “This initiative will build upon the diversity outreach we currently have in place, allowing us to reach an even larger audience.”

SMU Cox is one of only three southern schools to participate in this program. There are more than 20 leading business school MLT partners including Wharton, Yale, Harvard, MIT, and Stanford.

In 2004, The Cox School was also recognized for outstanding contributions to Hispanic and Native American populations.In September, Cox announced its debut in HISPANIC Trends’ annual listing of the Top 25 Programs for Hispanic MBAs.

In November, Steven Denson, Director of Diversity was named American Indian Individual of the Year for the state of Texas by the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Texas, the largest American Indian Chamber of Commerce in the United States. In the last year, the SMU Cox School of Business Diversity Initiative, headed by Denson, has provided over $300,000 in scholarship to women and students of color.

For additional information about Management Leadership for Tomorrow, visit www.ml4t.org.

SMU's Cox School of Business offers a full range of business education programs, from BBA and full-time MBA to Professional MBA (PMBA), Executive MBA (EMBA), and Executive Education. Cox is ranked among the top business schools nationally and internationally by major publications including BusinessWeek, Economist, Financial Times, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and U.S. News & World Report. In addition, the school's Business Leadership Center (BLC), Caruth Institute of Owner-Managed Business, American Airlines Global Leadership Program (GLP), and Associate Board executive mentoring program are recognized nationally and internationally.