Consortium anniversary book: Fun facts you’ll learn

Have you ever wondered how Sterling Schoen got the idea for The Consortium? Or what it took to make the idea come to life? How did the two most important figures in its early history—Schoen and Wally Jones—come to know each other?

Learn how you can order the Consortium anniversary book, “Leading the Challenge of Change.”

These and many other questions will be answered in the Consortium anniversary book, commemorating our 50 years of history: Leading the Challenge of Change. Written by former Consortium COO Barbara Jones, it tells the stories behind our history, from Schoen’s earliest inspiration through our growth—including the struggles to gain funding and make room for additional member schools.

Some fun facts in the Consortium anniversary book

Leading the Challenge of Change, the Consortium anniversary book, commemorating 50 years of history.

Leading the Challenge of Change, the Consortium anniversary book commemorating 50 years of history.

ACCIDENTAL MEETING: Schoen and Jones, the original dynamic duo of The Consortium at its launch, originally met at Howard University because of a scheduling mixup.

HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW: The first Consortium class was originally 22 students strong—but one of the students appeared on the first day of the Pre-Graduate Summer Studies Program (the original version of OP) and was never heard from again.

FUTURE MEMBER SCHOOLS: Two students from the original class earned degrees from universities that would later join The Consortium: James A. Jackson earned a sociology degree from Cornell University in 1967, just before starting his MBA work. Carl Bradford earned a master’s in electrical engineering from New York University in 1966. (Leon W. Todd had begun work studying psychology at the University of Wisconsin, a Consortium founding school, when he was persuaded to switch to MBA studies there.)

SILVER CELEBRATION: The Consortium did not have a corporate sponsor for its annual Orientation Program until its silver anniversary celebration, the 25th OP in 1991.

AIR MESS: A 43-day strike involving 35,000 airline workers crippled the air travel industry in the summer of 1966. That prevented six public- and private-sector invitees (including one from a major airline) from attending a two-day feasibility conference at Washington University. Forty-seven others made it to the conference, Aug. 8-9, designed to evaluate whether Schoen’s idea for The Consortium could work.

Leading the Challenge of Change will be published in late May, but you can order the book now. Meanwhile, we hope to entice you to pick up your copy by sharing more stories from the book over the next few months! Keep an eye on The Consortium’s blog.