Demonstrating its deep commitment to The Consortium’s mission to enhance diversity in business education and management, longstanding corporate partner 3M announced its intent to honor the entirety of its grant to The Consortium in 2020. This includes funds to support Consortium events including the 54th annual Orientation Program & Career Forum — which will be offered as a virtual experience this year — and the organization’s undergraduate conference, Competitive Advantage. 

“It is more important than ever to support our partners like The Consortium through these [challenging] times so that they can continue to support the communities we live and work in. That is why we are honoring all grants and labeling them as general operations grants,” says Katie Ketterhagen, student programs and talent pipelining manager at 3M. “We understand the struggles that nonprofits might be facing, and even though there is not a traditional career fair this year, we want to ensure that continued support.”

As a founding corporate partner of The Consortium, 3M has been a stalwart supporter of the organization since the beginning. Even during these tumultuous and trying times, 3M continues to demonstrate its commitment to this important work of moving the needle for underrepresented minorities in business, while also providing much-needed supplies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We consider diversity and inclusion at the core of innovation at 3M, and we place value in being a founding partner because, although the world has changed since 1966, the importance of celebrating diversity hasn’t,” Ketterhagen says, noting that times like these require greater innovation than ever before. “3M has always believed that diversity of thought leads to new ideas and solutions, and in these unprecedented times, having people with a wide range of backgrounds and ideas will be imperative to finding solutions in the fight against COVID-19.”

The Consortium is grateful for 3M’s continued support during this time, understanding the impact it will have for members. “In these unprecedented times, 3M has shown itself to be a true partner of The Consortium. Through their support, in good times and bad, they have demonstrated their unwavering commitment to our cause,” says Peter J. Aranda, III, executive director & CEO of The Consortium. “From everyone at The Consortium, we sincerely thank you.”