UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business recently announced it plans to tap into cutting-edge teaching technologies with the launch of three digital courses on a pilot basis beginning this summer. Funds from a $1 million matching gift from Steve and Susan Chamberlin, former members of the Haas faculty, will cover the costs of these pilots, as well as similar initiatives at other UC Berkeley professional schools.

Data and Decisions, the first online course debuting in June, is a prerequisite for the school’s Evening & Weekend MBA Program. In the undergraduate program, Tiffany Rassmusen will teach Professional Judgment in Accounting online starting in July.

The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business has posted the full-time MBA application deadlines for the 2012-2013 application cycle.

Round 1
Deadline: October 16, 2012
Notification: December 14, 2012

Round 2
Deadline: December 4, 2012
Notification: February 15, 2013

Round 3
Deadline: January 23, 2013
Notification: March 29, 2013

Round 4
Deadline: March 26, 2013
Notification: May 10, 2013

Please note that international applicants may not apply after round three. Stay tuned as more information on fall 2013 admissions for the Texas MBA becomes available this summer.

Greater emphasis on global diversity is the cornerstone of changes the Yale School of Management recently announced to its Pre-MBA Leadership Program. Launched in 2009, the annual two-week-long program has focused on introducing the fundamentals of an MBA degree to U.S. students from underrepresented populations.

Last year, with support from Goldman Sachs Gives, a donor-advised philanthropic fund,  the program expanded to include students from two Brazilian universities. Beginning in summer 2012, the renamed Global Pre-MBA Leadership Program will include undergraduate students from universities in Brazil, China, Ghana, Indonesia, Mexico, and Singapore.

Again partnering with Goldman Sachs Gives, this year the program will extend its international reach and draw on schools in the newly formed Global Network for Advanced Management.

“Focusing on global diversity will enrich the program, meaningfully exposing both under-represented students from the U.S. and students from an interesting set of countries to the complexities within and between societies,” says Yale SOM Dean Edward A. Snyder. “Providing students with an understanding of these complexities is critical in management education in today’s flatter, but non-convergent, world.”

The Global Pre-MBA Leadership Program is open to college sophomores, juniors, and seniors as well as recent graduates. Participating schools have been invited to select two high-potential undergraduates from their universities to attend the program, which will take place June 10–23, 2012.

Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management recently announced it has partnered with French business school EMLYON and Zhejiang University in China to offer the Global Entrepreneurship Program,  a 12-month master’s degree program dedicated to entrepreneurship.

The course is designed to provide entrepreneurial leaders and managers with the tools, knowledge, network and mindset to operate in increasingly global markets.

Students begin the program in the fall on the EMLYON campus in Lyon, France, getting insight into setting up a company from scratch and the European approach to business. In January, they head to China where they focus on family businesses. The last module takes place at Purdue with an examination of what makes for a high-growth company.

Working in multicultural teams, students will do a project at each location to develop their entrepreneurial skills and an appreciation for the challenges of establishing a business in each culture.

“Purdue University is honored to join the Global Entrepreneurship Program consortium,” said Krannert dean  P. Christopher Earley. “At Purdue, we take pride in producing analytical thinkers and global leaders, and our approach to management education with a focus on innovation, engineering and science perfectly complements our partner institutions.

“We’re confident that students will leave the program with a tremendous foundation for entrepreneurship through cutting-edge innovation, honed both in the classroom and through experiential learning opportunities.”

Last week, the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business announced it has received a combined gift of more than $6 million from Fort Worth businessman and entrepreneur Jon Brumley to fund the school’s startup accelerator Texas Venture Labs.

This campus-wide initiative has two missions:

• Accelerate start-ups from UT and Central Texas towards raising capital and taking their innovations to market
• Create an experience that transforms UT graduate students into future entrepreneurs and business leaders

“This investment is a game-changer that enables us to expand the scale and accessibility of the Texas Venture Labs model,” says dean Tom Gilligan in a statement announcing the news. “It’s a vote of confidence as well, because of the reputation of Jon Brumley as an entrepreneur, a business builder and a distinguished graduate of McCombs and the Wharton School of Business.”

Established just two years ago, Texas Venture Labs has since worked with 40 companies that have raised more than $25 million in investment capital, while providing direct entrepreneurial experience to graduate students in business, engineering, law, and natural sciences.

Each semester, startups work with the students, who carry out market validation studies, business model assessment, competitive analysis,  financial analysis, and due diligence projects. Texas Venture Labs also sponsors the annual Venture Labs Investment Competition, which was held on campus last week.

“Texas Venture Labs is a gem in the Texas entrepreneurial ecosystem. It provides critical, hands-on experience for aspiring entrepreneurs who learn as students the effort required to get a new venture through the financing process,” says Brumley. “For me, this gift is an opportunity to build our capacity to grow the economy of Texas, while giving a leg up to young entrepreneurs, who remind me a lot of myself at that age.”

Brumley’s gift will be used to expand existing programs, and to take the program to other UT campuses. The incubator will be renamed Jon Brumley Texas Venture Labs.

The deadlines for INSEAD’s  2012-2013 MBA program application are now available online.

Round 1
Deadline: October 3, 2012
Interview Decision Notification: November 9, 2012
Final Decision Notification: December 21, 2012

Round 2
Deadline: December 5, 2012
Interview Decision Notification: January 18, 2013
Final Decision Notification: March 1, 2013

Round 3
Deadline: March 13, 2013
Interview Decision Notification: April 19, 2013
Final Decision Notification: May 31, 2013

To be included in a specific round, applications must be complete and submitted by midnight Central European Time on the day of deadline.

INSEAD reminds applicants that competition for each round is relatively equal, so there is generally little advantage to be gained by early application.  Whenever you apply, please make sure that you submit a complete and well-prepared application pack.