The Steve and Debbie Vetter Dean’s Fellows Program is a premier leader-scholar program that offers distinctive opportunities to make a significant contribution to the community, while transforming personally and professionally.
The program enhances Vetter Fellows’ MBA experience through:
- Projects with impact: You will collaborate with your peers, as well as faculty, staff, alumni and others, on projects and initiatives that make a lasting impact, supporting local organizations and diverse communities across the state/region. Many of these projects support underserved populations and address issues related to social impact, economic development, and sustainability.
- Leadership development: Tailored, hands-on experiences to guide your personal and professional development, including an incoming student retreat, and a specially designed global learning experience. Vetter Fellows also have access to $400 per year in individual reimbursable professional development funds.
- Recruiting: Access early career coaching to help shape your career goals and prepare you for internship and post-MBA recruiting. Vetter Fellows also attend special events with employers throughout the year, providing an advantage in your post-MBA career search.
- Networking: Vetter Fellows build lasting relationships by connecting with numerous stakeholders who are committed to their education, growth and career. During a variety of special events, you’ll network with other classmates, School leaders, faculty and staff, alumni and business leaders.
- Giving back: Vetter Fellows collaborate with faculty and staff on projects and initiatives of high importance to the dean, and engage in community service projects, making a lasting impact on the UNC Kenan-Flagler and local community.
You have the opportunity to apply for the Vetter Dean’s Fellows Program as part of your admissions application. The selection committee typically chooses approximately 30 Vetter Fellows for each incoming class and looks for students with a passion to make an impact in the community as well as those with strong academic success and/or relevant leadership experience.
Learn what it takes to join the UNC-Kenan Flagler Full-Time MBA program.
“The Vetter Dean’s Fellows Program helped with my professional development by opening up networking opportunities with some of the great speakers who come through both the business school and the greater UNC community; their advice has absolutely made a difference in my career.”
Vetter Dean’s Fellows program benefits
As a Vetter Fellow, you have access to a variety of exclusive enrichment experiences where you hone and apply leadership skills and enhance your personal growth through projects and interaction with UNC faculty, staff, alumni, employers and distinguished guests. Each experiences is intentionally connected to the program pillars: leadership development, recruiting, networking and giving back.
Signature experiences
- Incoming student retreat: Prior to orientation, you’ll come together for a foundational team-building experience with your Vetter Fellows peers. You’ll explore your values, shape your personal development plan, and determine where you want to go after graduation.
- Global experience: This for-credit global experience will expose you to how business is done in a unique global destination. You’ll gain perspective from local experts and business leaders and engage in rewarding cultural experiences. In 2023, Vetter Fellows will travel to Rwanda to immerse themselves in the business and social culture of this rapidly growing nation.
- Early career coaching and resume book: Vetter Fellows have access to early career coaching. The career team also creates an electronic resume book for each Vetter Fellow, presenting them to potential employers in a highly professional way that gives them a competitive advantage in the job market.
- Exclusive programs with the dean and UNC Kenan-Flagler leadership: These semi-formal opportunities allow Vetter Fellows to engage in small group discussions with School leaders where you make important connections and receive advice and mentorship.
- Academic leadership capstone: Bringing the entire Vetter Fellows experience together, this for-credit Capstone Summit offers an impactful wrap-up of the entire MBA experience to maximize takeaways in preparation for your successful post-MBA career.
Additional annual programming
- Small Bites, Big Ideas: Small group discussions (six to eight Vetter Fellows) around a particular business topic, featuring special guest speakers
- Events with recruiters: Virtual coffee chats, small group discussions and one-on-one conversations allow you to explore career opportunities with employers from a wide variety of industries.
- Vetter Dean’s Fellows discussions: Student-led conversations around topics of interest, these discussions take a variety of formats and often engage faculty, alumni and business leaders.
- Vetter Dean’s Fellows projects: These impactful projects shape important innovation and progress at UNC Kenan-Flagler. Recent projects include:
- Reaching Gender Parity at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School (Phase I): Data collection and recommendations to assist in moving the needle on the percentage of females who apply and enroll in the UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA Full-Time Program.
- UNC Executive Development Learning & Development Research Project: Helped the organization understand how Leadership & Development professionals in organizations make decisions.
- Enhancing the MBA Curriculum: Assisted faculty with research and recommendations for curriculum innovation and new academic concentrations.
- Social events: Cultivating lifelong network connections (and friendships) requires a healthy balance of work and play! Recent social events have included trivia, cooking classes, BBQ get-togethers hosted by Vetter Fellows and “Fridays on the Front Porch” at the Carolina Inn.
Stories from Vetter Dean’s Fellows alumni
Brittany Gulledge (MBA ’16)
Senior Market Access Manager, GlaxoSmithKline New Zealand
View Brittany’s LinkedIn profile
“The Dean’s Fellows Program has been very beneficial to me personally in three ways. First, it allowed me to spend time connecting with the most impressive students at UNC Kenan-Flagler in my year as well as the years above and below me through social events. Second, it provided me with an opportunity to give back to the School through a Dean’s Fellows Project, which shows that the School values my recommendations and gave me a great project to speak about with potential recruiters. Third, it gave me greater access to recruiters because my résumé was published in a Dean’s Fellows Résumé Book that showcases the best and brightest of Kenan-Flagler.”
Rodrigo Aquino (MBA ’16)
Team Leader, Bain & Company
View Rodrigo’s LinkedIn profile
“The program enabled me to develop myself tremendously, both from a leadership and a skillset perspective, while giving back to the School and making a mark on this very special place called UNC Kenan-Flagler.”
LeVert Novak (MBA ’17)
Senior Financial Analyst, Amazon
View LeVert’s LinkedIn profile
“The Dean’s Fellows embody a commitment to excellence, service and humility. I consider it an honor to have this distinction and I seek to add to the legacy of accomplishments of those who have been distinguished before me.”
Jermyn Davis (MBA ’20)
Cloud Program Manager, Google
View Jermyn’s LinkedIn profile
“Through my Dean’s Fellow Project, my team and I felt extremely valued and appreciative of the opportunity to help develop the institution’s long-term strategy, particularly as it relates to our potential expansion into other international markets.”
Kyle Gibler (MBA ’13)
Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company
View Kyle’s LinkedIn profile
“The Dean’s Fellows Program both attracted me to UNC Kenan-Flagler and enriched my time as a student. Through frequent social events, opportunities to connect to leaders in academia and industry, and an exciting practicum, the Dean’s Fellows Program provided me both a strong network and lifelong friends.”
Pranav Pimpley (MBA ’17)
Business Manager, Capital One
View Pranav’s LinkedIn profile
“Being a part of the Dean’s Fellows program helped me make meaningful connections at UNC Kenan-Flagler and in the UNC community. Working on a project to improve the business program and having a lasting impact on the Business School is a fulfilling experience as well.”
Vetter Dean’s Fellows Profiles
Vetter Dean’s Fellows student committee
Our student committee works alongside Business School leaders to shape the direction of the Vetter Fellows program. The committee designs events, assists with first-year Vetter Fellows projects, and facilitates engagement between first- and second-year Vetter Fellows.
