Discover this place.

Shape your world.®

Nick CromydasChicago, IL

Vanderbilt UniversityCommunication, Managerial Studies, Corporate Strategy

Learn it. Apply it. Live it.

Accelerator®—Vanderbilt Summer Business Institute is an intensive, fast-paced, four-week summer immersion in business, designed exclusively for undergraduates and recent college graduates. This program puts you

on an accelerated track from the classroom to the business world.

VANDERBILT ACCELERATOR

Build skills that win jobs. Hit the ground running.

Accelerator students have served as consultants for the following companies:

In just four weeks, you will n learn from the best that Vanderbilt has to offer—the same

world-class faculty who teach the business courses in Vanderbilt’s prestigious MBA program.

n get hands-on experience solving real-world problems for six real companies.

n make presentations to senior executives, helping you to build invaluable confidence as you prepare to transition to the working world.

n build valuable connections through networking events with CEOs and upper-level managers who make hiring decisions for their companies. In addition, corporate partners often offer summer internships to Accelerator students who worked on projects for their companies.

n receive one-on-one career counseling with coaching and instruction focused on your personal strengths and weaknesses, helping you to build a strong personal brand.

n strengthen individual and teamwork skills—both important to employers.

n work at a fast pace—and have fun. You’re constantly on the go, from a networking breakfast to classes to project work to a client presentation to a group outing.

VANDERBILT ACCELERATOR

The immersive, real-world project experience that serves as the foundation of Accelerator sets it apart from other undergraduate summer business programs. You assume the role of a consultant and are challenged to deliver the best solutions to current business problems for participating organizations. You’ll interact directly with key decision makers, including CEOs, whom you might never meet in internships or entry-level positions.

Most project launches take the students on-site to company headquarters, providing unparalleled access and exposure to resources.

SAMPLE PROJECT

The Challenge: Design a program that would leverage Bridgestone’s sports relationships to increase brand awareness and drive tire sales in small towns.

The Solution: Since small-town residents may not have a strong affiliation to a major professional sports team, the students recommended that the company form a new partnership with Little League Baseball. The students chose to focus on a marketing campaign for Firestone tires because they sell better than the Bridgestone brand in small towns. To save marketing dollars, the student team proposed building the new campaign into existing baseball-themed Firestone television commercials. Other plan elements included Little League-branded signage for all small-town Firestone stores and local Little League team sponsorships.

The solution offered unique exposure for the Firestone brand on both local and national levels. Bridgestone executives really liked the team’s idea and admitted they would have “never thought of it.”

Do more than you ever imagined.

“I can’t describe how unreal it feels to be presenting to top executives of major corporations and hear how excited they are about our ideas and how they plan to implement them.”Tori Wycoff Vanderbilt University Human and Organizational Development

“Vanderbilt’s Accelerator program is the only undergraduate program that provides students with the opportunity to engage in real-life consulting projects with businesses in the Nashville area. I don’t think there is a better program out there.”

Kaitlin KeyUniversity of DaytonPsychology

“Accelerator instilled in me the confidence and drive to be successful in any endeavor.”

Hewsan PangAmerican UniversityPublic Affairs and Administration

“Accelerator was, without a doubt, an invaluable part of my education.”

Robert TurtonVanderbilt UniversityChemical Engineering

“Not only has it provided me with some of the best connections in Nashville, but now I can include on my resume more than 100 hours of MBA-level coursework and experience as a consultant on six real-world projects.”

Knight HammockSewanee: The University of the SouthMathematics

Hands down the most valuable, impactful educational experience I have ever had.

Casey Morgan UCLAEconomics

What students are saying about Accelerator…

Four weeks and one life-changing experience.

Get a snapshot into Accelerator! Visit owen.vanderbilt.edu/accelerator

Accelerator®—Vanderbilt Summer Business Institute is designed to motivate, instill confidence and develop key business skills in students. Our promise is that you will leave this program with a new zest for your career, a renewed sense of self and an energetic spirit, ready and willing to hit the ground running.

What parents are saying about Accelerator…

“One of the finest business educational programs we have ever witnessed.”

Bev and Gary CarpenterParents of Cory Carpenter

“The best investment we have ever made in Michael’s education.”

Margie and P.G. GottfriedParents of Michael Gottfried

“Following the Accelerator program, our daughter Emily earned an internship at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Her resume also now includes work for American Airlines, FedEx and Whirlpool, to name a few.”

Diane and Frank AgostinoParents of Emily Agostino

To obtain curriculum and admissions details, view student and project spotlights, submit an online application and much more, visit owen.vanderbilt.edu/accelerator.

We also invite you to email us at accelerator@vanderbilt.edu or call 615.343.6291 with any questions.

Four weeks and one life-changing experience.

180,000The number of minutes an Accelerator

student spends sharing ideas and solving problems for real companies.

75%

The percentage of Accelerator students who get hired as interns

following completion of the program.

57The number of companies that have had real issues solved by

Accelerator students since 2006.

About 60The number of universities that

have been represented at Accelerator since the program began.

©2011 Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management Vanderbilt is an equal opportunity, affirmative action university.Rev. 10/11

Discover this place. Shape your world.®

owen.vanderbilt.edu/accelerator

To students:Here is a place where you will be challenged to achieve your potential; find support as you shape your future; discover lifelong friends and mentors; and open doors to new possibilities.

To faculty and staff:Here is a place where you can engage, think, reach, teach, influence people, and transform the world around you.

To business:Here is a place where you will find the men and women who have the skills, the drive, and the determination to move your organization forward.

To alumni:Here is a place that you can call home, build business relationships, and inspire those who follow to reach even higher.

Our Promise

Printed on recycled paper.

Accelerator®—Vanderbilt Summer Business InstituteOwen Graduate School of Management401 21st Avenue SouthNashville TN 37203-2422

Telephone: 615.343.6291Facsimile: 615.343.7177Email: accelerator@owen.vanderbilt.eduHours: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM, US Central Time

Nick Cromydas

Charity Starter. Tennis Coach. World Shaper.As captain of the men’s tennis team at Vanderbilt, Nick Cromydas already experienced college life at an accelerated pace. The heavy demands of a

two-semester sport didn’t deter him from earning a spot on the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll for four straight years. Still, he says, “as a

student-athlete you often have little time to think of exactly what you plan to do after you graduate.” He applied to the Accelerator program after a favorite

professor told him that many of his peers who found themselves in post-college “life limbo” gained a lot from the Accelerator experience…

On our cover

To read the rest of Nick’s story, visit owenworldshapers.com/NickCromydas.html