By John Hunter, founder of CuriousCat.com.
Update: The Deming Scholar program is no longer in existence
The Deming Scholar MBA students at Fordham University are looking for internship opportunities within your organization.
Dr. W. Edwards Deming believed in inspiring people to think differently, ask better questions and seek new knowledge. He thought this was important because it led to more productive employees, successful organizations and happy customers. He did this by inspiring a new way to think about yourself and your organization. A way of thinking that leads us to understand why best efforts and hard work are not enough.
This long-running program is The Deming Scholars MBA program at Fordham University. The program is led by Dr. Joyce Orsini, the President of The W. Edwards Deming Institute®.
The internship program for the Deming Scholars MBA at Fordham is designed to help your organization and to bring real-world experience to MBA students. Companies can participate in the Deming Scholars MBA internship program by providing practicum opportunities for students enrolled in the track.
We are asking for your help in providing these MBA students an opportunity to spend a seven-week practicum with you or a colleague, helping with a current project at your organization, or perhaps working on a project that you never find the time to do. Students are interested in all types of organizations. Their own experiences vary. So, we can help you select the right student for the job you have in mind.
The Deming Scholars MBA imbeds business courses within an extensive, in-depth study of management and leadership from the viewpoint of an organization as a system. Students study and do research with Fordham faculty for eight weeks, then go to a company for seven weeks, to work and to learn. This process repeats for five terms.
The role of the host organization: The program we propose is for participating companies to host students who best satisfy the organization’s needs at the time of the internship. The organization gets an extra pair of hands on a project, or process. Decisions about how interns spend their time are made by the sponsoring company, based on the student’s capability and skills, and the company’s needs.
The role of interns: As interns, students are expected to help the enterprise achieve its business objectives, through work on an analysis, project, or team, where the firm can use some help. They devote their energies to that end. At the same time, students listen, observe, and learn, while working on your project.
Participating companies have included: ABC (New York), American Express (New York), Coach Leather (New York), Corning Life Sciences (New Jersey), GE Capital (New York, Connecticut), Henry Ford Health Care Systems (Michigan), Johnson & Johnson (New Jersey), McKinsey (New York), NASA (Washington, D.C.) (see more companies).
Please send an e-mail to orsini@fordham.edu, or telephone 212-636-6219, to talk further about this opportunity to host a Deming Scholar for seven weeks.
Related: Apply to Become a Deming Scholar (MBA Program at Fordham University, NYC) – Dr. Deming Video: A Theory of a System for Educators and Managers