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University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management Partners With Cuso International On Global Consulting Projects.

May 3, 2016

Toronto – While many of their classmates spent the past summer in traditional internships with firms in Canada and the United States, 21 students from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management spent time abroad working on projects ranging from microfinance to entrepreneurship in countries including Myanmar and Nigeria.

The new initiative, Global Consulting Projects, is an opportunity for students in the Rotman Full Time MBA program to earn credit for applying what they’ve learned in the program for clients around world.

A unique aspect of some of the projects is that the Rotman School has partnered with Cuso International, a non-profit international development organization that works to reduce poverty and inequality around the globe. The collaboration aims to support Cuso International and its partners in their mission to mobilize resources to ultimately reduce poverty and inequality. At the same time, the participating Rotman MBA students gain professional experience working with a global development agency in an international setting and learning about opportunities and challenges in the realm of international development.

The Rotman School and Cuso International are pleased to announce that the partnership will continue for a second year, with new projects already scheduled for the summer.

“This partnership between Rotman and Cuso International is an example of how institutions can collaborate to mobilize resources - human and financial - and contribute to the economic growth and social well-being of communities impacted by poverty and inequality,” says Tiff Macklem, Dean of the Rotman School. “It also helps to prepare our students to work in the global economy and to make an impact on society.”

For the Cuso International projects, the Rotman students are considered to be Cuso International volunteers, and receive extensive training and support from the organization. A third partner in the initiative is The Boston Consulting Group, which provided mentorship to the Rotman students on the projects. Students are also advised by a Rotman faculty member and receive course credit for their work.

“Going to Myanmar to work with young entrepreneurs and watching them build their dreams was transformational for me. As a JD/MBA student, I always saw my career in the corporate world, but this experience has made me think more about pursuing entrepreneurship,” says Shuhe Li, JD/MBA’17.

“The opportunity to go to a developing region for two or three months to learn about working in a completely different world and culture is rare.” says Alys Richards, MBA’16.  “The knowledge and skills I’ve gained from going to Nigeria have without a doubt helped me develop personally and professionally. I believe that this experience was a contributing factor to landing a post-MBA position. While interviewing, it was something that every company was curious about.”

Watch a video on the Global Consulting Projects online.

The Rotman School of Management is located in the heart of Canada’s commercial and cultural capital and is part of the University of Toronto, one of the world’s top 20 research universities. The Rotman School fosters a new way to think that enables our graduates to tackle today’s global business and societal challenges.  For more information, visit www.rotman.utoronto.ca.

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For more information:

Ken McGuffin
Manager, Media Relations
Rotman School of Management
University of Toronto
Voice 416.946.3818
E-mail mcguffin@rotman.utoronto.ca
Follow Rotman on Twitter @rotmanschool
Watch Rotman on You Tube www.youtube.com/rotmanschool