William Morris Agency to Partner with Accelerator 2008

The 2nd Corporate Partner firm announced for the 2008 Summer Business Institute at Vanderbilt's Owen Graduate School of Management is the William Morris Agency. We're delighted to have this outstanding company a part of Accelerator 2008.

The William Morris team has provided an opportunity for participants to get an understanding of the "business" of managing a talent (sports and entertainment). Accelerator teams will compete to create the best marketing and launch campaign for a particular talent - what better group to help design such a launch than about 100 college students! Expect this particular project to be a combination of extreme learning, fun, an overall "wow" experience (in a manner that only William Morris Agency can do).

About the William Morris Agency:

Founded in 1898, the William Morris Agency (WMA) is the largest and most diversified talent and literary agency in the world, with principal offices in New York, Beverly Hills, Nashville, London, Miami Beach and Shanghai.

The Agency represents clients in all segments of the entertainment industry, including Motion Pictures, Television, Music and Personal Appearances, Broadway Theatre and Theatrical Touring, Book Publishing, Commercial Endorsements, Sports Marketing, Corporate Consulting, Digital Media, and Video Games.

Upcoming December Information Session

The next information session for Accelerator 2008 will be held on Wednesday, December 5th at 6:30 PM in the Averbuch Auditorium at the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. Corporate Partner guests who will be speaking about their projects and internship opportunities are Lexus (2007 Partner) and the William Morris Agency (2008 Partner). We'll have plenty of pizza and softdrinks as well.

The photo in this posting comes courtesy of Cory Carpenter, a 2007 Accelerator Alumni. Cory, along with Mallory Shafer and Carol Barry "painted" our Accelerator info session sign in the "tunnel" here at Vanderbilt. Thought you'd enjoy seeing their work.

I hope to see many of you at the December5th Session. We'll be unveiling more Corporate partners and internship opportunities at the meeting.

Michael

First Corporate Partner for 2008 Announced: Caterpillar Financial

The 1st Corporate Partner firm announced for 2008 Summer Business Institute is Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation. A representative of Caterpillar Financial will be at our Information Session on Tuesday, October 2, 2007 at the Owen Graduate School of Business at 6:30 PM.

We're delighted to have this Fortune 50 Company a part of Accelerator 2008. The Caterpillar Financial project will be an international issues project that will likely focus on markets, financial services, real estate, and logistics. This particiular "real world" project will be an outstanding opportunity for university students to learn about this fascinating business. I suspect it will be far more engaging that just about any internship one could have.

About Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation:

Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation is the financial arm of Caterpillar Inc., a Fortune 50 company, a technology leader and the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, natural gas and diesel engines, and industrial gas turbines.

For 25 years, Cat Financial, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., has been providing a wide range of financing alternatives for the complete line of Caterpillar machinery and engines, Solar ® gas turbines, other related equipment and marine vessels. The company also extends loans to customers and dealers. Cat Financial has offices and subsidiaries located throughout the Americas, Asia, Australia, and Europe.

Financial ResultsIn 2006, Cat Financial reported revenues of $2.76 billion, up 17 percent compared with 2005. Profit after tax was $473, a 30 percent increase over 2005. New retail financing was a record $12.16 billion, up 4 percent from 2005.

Service ExcellenceCat Financial offers financing and leasing for all of Caterpillar's product line, with services available for each market that Caterpillar serves. These markets include general, heavy and compact equipment construction, engines, power generation, lift trucks, asphalt paving, marine, and forestry.

Time to Launch Accelerator 2008

On October 1, 2008 we will "officially" launch Accelerator 2008. Our staff has been busy since early July working on the the 2008 Summer Business Institute - now it's time to "Hit the Ground Running" with another fantastic year.

Students who choose Vanderbilt's Accelerator program get a once-in-a-lifetime experience. With the help and support of our corporate partners, we have created an intensive four-week immersion in business designed exclusively for undergraduates and recent grads in all majors. For 30 straight days at the Owen Graduate School of Management some of the top young minds from around the globe are immersed in real-world consulting roles for companies, helping to solve issues in marketing, logistics, finance, operations, and branding.

Our 2008 Corporate Partners represent a diverse and expansive industry mix, propelling the students to learn business by doing business. Within a competitive team structure and with a "grab it and go" education from top Owen faculty members, these students are challenged to deliver the best solutions possible for these businesses.

Over the next several weeks, I'll do a brief highlight on each of the companies that are our 2008 Corporate Partners.

You can learn more about Accelerator by visiting http://www.owen.vanderbilt.edu/vanderbilt/Programs/accelerator/index.cfm

Our first Information Session is coming up on Tuesday, October 2nd at 6:30 PM in the Averbuch Auditorium at the Owen Graduate School of Management on the Vanderbilt Campus.