Ready to Compete: Five Reasons to Sign Up for the New Smith-Tuck Business Program

Interested in a career in business, but still inexperienced in the field?

A new program to be held at Smith this summer may be just what you’re looking for.

The program, a partnership between Smith and Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business,will offer students training in essential skills needed for success in business.

Courses will be taught at Smith by Tuck faculty during the three-week program, which starts May 25. The Smith-Tuck Business Bridge Program is timed so that students can participate in 10-week summer internships after the Bridge program ends. It also offers valuable networking opportunities with Smith alumnae who have experience running businesses and nonprofits.

Stacie Hagenbaugh, director of the Lazarus Center for Career Development at Smith, says the program is tailored for college women who may lack training in business, yet are excited about exploring the field.

“The intensive sessions will cover everything from marketing to finances to management,” Hagenbaugh says. “It’s a professional boot camp that will help get students ready to compete in any area.”

The program will enroll up to 30 students in this first pilot year—most of them, Smith students. The training costs $7,500, which includes housing on campus; some financial aid is available. The deadline to apply is March 1.

Here are five reasons to consider signing up for Smith-Tuck:

1. It’s intensive: The Smith-Tuck program offers a range of training modules, “from those that last a few hours to those that last a few days,” Hagenbaugh says. Courses are aimed at giving students a foundation in essential business skills, including accounting, economics, marketing, management, corporate finance and decision-making.
2. It’s fun: The program is built around hands-on classroom assignments and research projects that will be evaluated by industry representatives. Smith-Tuck will also bring in guest speakers and provide networking events with Smith alumnae who will share their experiences in business.
3. The teachers are experts: Faculty will be drawn from Tuck’s prestigious master’s degree program in business. “Students will be getting extremely sophisticated teaching in the field of business that can augment what they’re learning here at Smith,” Hagenbaugh notes.
4. There’s a focus on women: The program will examine the unique challenges and opportunities facing women in business. “This is a chance for students to delve into critical gender-specific issues,” Hagenbaugh says. “We know that many Smith women end up running their own businesses and nonprofits. The program will give them the confidence they need to compete and make those dreams a reality.”
5. It’s a one-of-a-kind opportunity: The program builds on other successful partnerships between Smith and Tuck, including the Smith-Tuck Global Leaders Program for women executives. Maria Moscoso ’15, who participated in a business training program at Tuck last summer, is glad to see similar opportunities being offered at Smith through the new program. The Tuck training “just expanded my career goals altogether. It just gave me resources I didn’t have before,” Moscoso says in a recent video interview.“My mindset into what I want to pursue just expanded.”

Smith seniors Maria Moscoso (left) and Ridwana Fairuz, who were enrolled in a Tuck business program last summer, are excited to see a similar program starting at Smith in May.