By Kara Sherrer
Vanderbilt Business School boasts more than 40 student clubs, which works out to about one club for every 11 full-time students. These clubs cover a wide range of interests and activities, from professional to social to affinity to cultural and everything in between. Below, we’ve highlighted some of the clubs’ programming to give a taste of what’s to come in the 2018-2019 school year.
Adam Smith Society
The Adam Smith Society is a nationwide association of graduate students and business leaders who work to promote on-campus debate and discussion about the moral, social, and economic benefits of capitalism. The Vanderbilt chapter hosts a variety of on-campus speakers, socials, and debates throughout the year; membership is 100% free for all Owen students. The Adam Smith Society will be hosting Closing Bell in late September to promote its programming for the upcoming year.
Owen Marketing Association
Students at the 2017 National Black Conference
The Owen Marketing Association, formerly known as the Vanderbilt Marketing Association, will take Mod I to welcome the new first years, give an overview of careers in marketing, and prepare students for the National Black MBA Association Conference, which is a key recruiting event for marketing internships. Some events they will be hosting include a Marketing Association Happy Hour and a National Black Career Fair Information Session and Peer Coach Panel. The club will also work with Amanda Fend at the Career Management Center to organize mock interviews and case prep ahead of National Black, as well as host a Brand Management Symposium where Owen alumni will discuss their careers as brand managers.
Owen Out&Allied
Owen Out&Allied seeks to provide an open, supportive, and educational environment for LGBTQ individuals while furthering the professional goals of members and the inclusive culture at Owen. During the upcoming school year, the club is planning a Diversity Symposium to help diverse candidates navigate the recruiting process, and will also host sessions to prepare students for the Reaching Out MBA Conference in the fall. The club is also working with the Nashville LGBT Chamber to invite some outside speakers to Owen, as well as planning to cohost events with the law school LGBTQ club, OutLaw.
Owen Speaking Club
“Winners” of the Fail Festival pose with their trophies
The Speaking Club provides opportunities for members to practice and develop speaking abilities within a smaller scale setting. In addition to more traditional speaking events, the club also hosts the comedic “BS” Competition, in which participants present on an unknown (and often absurd) slide deck. The club will also co-sponsor events alongside other organizations, such as the Humans of Owen initiative, during the upcoming year.
Real Estate Club
In April 2018, the Real Estate Club will host a representative from the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council (CREFC) to teach a Mortgage-Backed Securities 101 class. The team is also working to bring the former Head of Structured Finance (who oversaw all real estate backed products) at Lehman Brothers to campus for a visit. Finally, the club is building relationships with local alumni and working to add several local property tours to the calendar in Mod I.
Social Activities Club
John Greenwood
The Owen Social Activities Club coordinates inclusive social events that don’t involve alcohol, so students will feel comfortable bringing the whole family along. “Whether you want to bring friends, family, or just yourself, our club provides opportunities to socialize with one another while participating in fun, interactive events without having to run up a tab,” explains John Greenwood (MBA’19), incoming president for the SAC. Over the past year, the SAC hosted sporting events, game nights, paintball, an escape room visit, gingerbread house making, BBQing, rock climbing, and bowling events. The club is planning an equally fun slate of activities for the 2018-2019 school year, and will kick off the programming with the Field Day event in the early fall.
Tech Club
The Tech Club will be hosting a Tech Symposium featuring notable alums who work in different roles in the tech industry, as well as Tech Panel Lunch & Learns in both Mod I and Mod III to give students a better understanding of roles in the tech industry. The club will also periodically invite leaders from the Nashville Technology Council to speak on campus during lunchtime and connect with students at Closing Bell. The Tech Club will once again offer Tableau and Sequel seminars, as well as expand the number of sessions and the amount of material that is covered throughout the school year.
Venture and Entrepreneurship Club
Brittani Roberts
The purpose of the Owen Venture and Entrepreneurship Club (OVEC) is to give students exposure to all things entrepreneurial, including fundraising. “We support those who are starting their own businesses, want to work at startups, or hope to be venture capitalists in the future,” says incoming president Brittani Rendina Roberts (MBA’19). OVEC works with the Center for Entrepreneurship to host a variety of events such as the Venture & Entrepreneurship Symposium, a mock venture capital case competition, and a sponsored Closing Bell featuring a startup fair. The club will also organize regular whiteboarding sessions where members can brainstorm business ideas together.
Vanderbilt Business Healthcare Association
The Vanderbilt Business Healthcare Association (VBHA) will host a variety of professional and social events through the school year to help new members get to know each other and prepare for recruiting. Events include a meet-and-greet happy hour during Orientation and the Healthcare Symposium during Mod I. The club will also host networking events in Nashville, healthcare case prep sessions, and company-specific interview prep.
Women’s Business Association
Corporate Panel at last year’s Women in Business Symposium
The Owen Women’s Business Association (WBA) plans to host several events during the upcoming school year to promote the personal and professional development of women at Owen and their male allies. These events include a WBA Kickoff event to introduce first- and second-year women, corporate Lunch & Learns featuring women leaders from companies that recruit from Owen, Lean-In discussions to talk over real issues in the workplace and at business schools, and speakers and panels to educate the Owen student body about being successful leaders in business.
To learn more about the club and organizations available at Vanderbilt Business, visit the student life page.
