Welcome back UMass! After a summer hiatus, IUCG is back in its fourth operational semester. With a fresh group of analysts and three new faces on the E-Team, we’re ready to take on Fall 2015. This semester marks the beginning of a new chapter for IUCG. The founding members have graduated, and the mentees have become the mentors. We are moving with a purpose into unchartered territory and it is invigorating to continue the growth and impact of IUCG.

Even though the people who first created our culture of mentorship and professional development have moved on to bigger and better things, the values they instilled in us all remain. This legacy starts with foundational learning about consulting in our development workshops. This semester the student analysts will learn valuable skills from case math and financial modeling, to LinkedIn tricks and the right way to network. We pride ourselves on the variety of perspectives and skillsets within our group, with individuals from every major within Isenberg, as well as some majors outside of the business field. We each bring something unique to the table, and it allows us to build dynamic relationships and grow even more as individuals, as students, and as young professionals. Our slogan, “Collaborate. Solve. Accelerate.” is brought to life in the classroom through our development workshops and consistently throughout our client engagements.

Out of our twenty-seven members this semester, nine individuals comprise the new analyst class, making it through the pool of applicants with a 10% acceptance rate. Along with the new analyst class entered new E-Team members, specifically three individuals: Joe Winston, Director of Case Materials; Sara Clemente, Director of Finance; Bill Sennott, Director of Development. While our membership has changed, the same culture that prizes intellectual curiosity and the desire to give back to our community and our university remains.

We are excited to push forward and to continue to develop both the Consulting Group as a whole and our members individually. There are big things happening in the upcoming weeks so stay tuned! As the projects commence and recruiting season continues in full swing, IUCG will be busy prepping project teams and clients alike. We are meeting with recruiters from EY and Grant Thornton this week, so check back in for the low down on all things Business Advisory Services.