BSA Links Up With Corporate Sponsor

The Black Students' Association (BSA) has secured a $5,000 annual corporate sponsorship from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), in what may be the largest such agreement for a Harvard student group.

The BSA's ultimate goal is to raise $20,000 in corporate sponsorships, BSA Treasurer Brandon A. Gayle '03 says.

In return for access to BSA's members and prominent publicity in BSA events and publications, BCG will offer interview and resume workshops for BSA members.

BSA President Aaliyah N. Williams '02 and Gayle are working out the details of a mentorship program between association members and BCG employees.

"We're really excited because this sponsorship will allow us to do a lot more with career development," Williams says.

Both Associate Dean David P. Illingworth '71 and Williams say they are unaware of similar corporate sponsorships of other student groups.

Most other forms of sponsorship, Illingworth says, come in the form of paid advertisements in publications and one-time event sponsorships. The BCG sponsorship, on the other hand, is a wholesale sponsorship of the BSA.

The sponsorship puts the BSA on solid financial ground, and also represents a larger investment on the part of BCG toward minority recruitment.

"We're not going to change our standard recruiting approach, but we're offering some additional enhancement or contact for potentials," says Reggie Gilyard, BCG's director of North American diversity.

"When I heard about 600 African-American students there at Harvard, I really wanted to make sure that we had an opportunity to reach out to them," Gilyard adds.

In addition to the corporate sponsorship, BCG will offer an annual $5,000 scholarship, similar to the Goldman Sachs scholarship of excellence, to a BSA sophomore or junior.

While specific details about the scholarship have yet to be determined, Gayle says qualities such as scholastic achievement, BSA involvement and community service will be taken into consideration.

The scholarship recipient would be free to use the money in any way, he says.

Follow the Money

Gayle and Williams, who came up with the idea of procuring corporate sponsorships for BSA this past summer, say they approached BCG because of the BSA's pre-existing connection to the consulting firm.

BCG has attended BSA's career fair for at least the past three years.

The pair also approached companies like Coke and Pepsi and are in the process of contacting companies in other industries to meet their goal of having $20,000 in corporate sponsorships, Gayle says.

BCG currently sponsors seven to 10 similar groups around the country, Gilyard says, adding that BCG might have sponsored the BSA earlier had they been approached sooner.

"This is the first sponsorship proposal that we've seen from Harvard," Gilyard says. "It's important for us to establish relationships at most of the primary campuses where we recruit."

Lisa A. Iapecco, BCG's North American diversity coordinator, emphasizes that similar opportunities for sponsorships exist for all student groups, regardless of the group's ethnicity.

"It was the opportunity and the timing that worked out for the BSA, plus our past relationship," Iapecco says. "We enjoy working with the students of Harvard no matter what their ethnic background."

The sponsorship, which started this semester, will be up for evaluation at the end of each year. The scholarship will be offered starting next year.

Leaving a Legacy

Williams, who will step down as BSA president in April, says the sponsorship is the current board's "greatest tangible legacy."

"People will be able to look to the BSA as a resource for career opportunities as well as camaraderie and friendship," she says.

Williams says she hopes the new board, to be elected in April, will continue to search for corporate sponsors in diffierent industries.

"This, as well as the other events we've held, have left a legacy of what is expected of the BSA, of our involvement and visibility on campus," Williams adds.