Max Anderson wanted it all.
He loved finance, statistics and business analysis. He was interested in computers. He loved biology. He imagined himself traveling and volunteering, maybe even joining the Peace Corps. He hoped to learn more about sustainability and business ethics.
A new scholarship program Daniels College of Business not only allows the freshman to pursue all of the above. He encourages her.
“I think a lot of people who go into business want to do it for the money without really understanding the background of the process behind it,” like coding on a website or equity issues in the workplace, Anderson says. . “I really like that this scholarship emphasizes breaking that mould. I think basically it’s about more comprehensiveness.
The inauguration Tome Scholarship is a donation made possible by alumnus Carol Tomé (MBA ’81, honorable PhD ’18), CEO of UPS and her husband Ramon. It provides a cohort of six minority students with $15,000 per year to significantly diversify their business studies.
Tomé scholars must follow one of two broad and customizable pathways. They can major in finance, accounting, or business analysis and earn a minor outside of Daniels. Or they can combine any business discipline with a double major in a science, technology, engineering, arts, or math (STEAM) field.
Additionally, fellows must complete leadership experience after their freshman year, complete an internship after their second or third year, and travel with their cohort overseas on an all-expenses-paid trip.
“I think the whole experience from the start emphasizes a more complete view of both your education and your career later on,” says Anderson, a first-generation Hispanic student at Golden. “At its core, this scholarship emphasizes trying to balance the scientific part of education with the business dynamics of it. I think the way these work together creates some interesting results.
This blend has long been a priority at Daniels, says Greg Grauberger, Executive Director of Undergraduate Programs. The Tomé Scholarship gives these students – selected on the basis of a holistic assessment including academics, extracurricular involvement, and financial need – a foundation built on a set of common goals, shared by Tomé and his alma mater.
“In today’s fluid, ever-changing world, we really want practitioners to have some of these practical skills that are very, very important,” says Grauberger. “As our dean [Vivek Choudhury] says, “We want to prepare you for jobs that don’t even exist yet. We don’t know what these jobs are, but we do know some of the tools needed to do these jobs.
For Tomé, it’s also a matter of community. The DU program is one of three she established at universities across the country. She hopes Daniels scholars can network with students at the University of Wyoming and Morehouse College of Medicine in Atlanta, forming a support network throughout their careers.
Although all three programs are tailored to their respective institutions and vary in focus, each emphasizes working for the public good – an ideal, according to Tomé, took on new meaning during his time at UD.
“Daniels is internationally recognized for integrating social, environmental and ethical issues into its programs,” she says. “Throughout our careers, we have led with integrity and a sense of purpose and thank DU for helping establish our north star.”
Grauberger is quick to push back the gratitude to Tomé.
“It really improves the way business is going to be done in the future,” he says of the scholarship it made possible. “Students can and will benefit from this opportunity, thanks to someone who decided to say, ‘This is my school. I will give back.
