UB School of Management certifies largest LeaderCORE™ class

By Kevin Manne

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo School of Management awarded LeaderCORE™ certification to 49 MBA students in a ceremony on April 10 at the Marriott Hotel in Amherst.

This is the fourth group to complete LeaderCORE, an exclusive leadership development program that spans the entire two years of the UB MBA experience. The class has grown by 81% since the inaugural class of 27 graduates in 2012.

A winner of the MBA Roundtable Innovator Award, LeaderCORE gives students the opportunity to study and navigate real-world business situations while developing a set of clearly identified management competencies.

The graduates are: Hannah Allen, Nikta Asgari, Sagar Bansal, William Bartz, Matthew Beck, Curtis Boyle, Garrett Chambers, Justin Cicatello, Aaron D’angelo, Jamie Deren, Jasmin Kaur Dhanjal, Adam Faeth, Shamindrie Fernando, John Fraczek, Vibhu Gautam, Katelyn Giardino, Osiris Gomez, Sneha Gupta, Dale Higgins, Michael Holt, Te An Huang, Dominique Kalpakidou, Amanda Kearns, Frank Koelbel, Xuefei Li, Victoria Lojacono, Michelle Lund, Varsha Narasimhamurthy, Tu Nguyen, Lauren O’mara, Purva Patil, Daniel Piccoli, Michael Pinnola, Samantha Podlas, Swati Priya, Prashant Ranjan, David Rothstein, Alex Schmitt, Tauheedah Scott, Andrew Somerville, Mayuri Sood, An Chieh Teng, Tharuman Thavakumar, Kelsang Tsomo, Manjari Varshney, Ashley Watkins, Michael Watson, Alison Lee Williams and Aditya Yellapantula.

“LeaderCORE was designed with input from a wide cross-section of employers who tell us that the competencies developed in the program are an important factor for being hired and progressing in their organizations,” says Nick Everest, faculty director of the program and clinical assistant professor of organization and human resources in the UB School of Management. “It is very rewarding to see students build on their existing strengths and develop skills that will guide their ongoing career development.”

LeaderCORE bridges the gap between academic learning and the workplace, focusing on core competencies—such as teamwork, problem solving, adaptability and integrity—considered vital by the business community for effective performance and successful leadership. The program is integrated into every aspect of coursework, career and professional development opportunities, internships and more.

In their first semester, LeaderCORE students undergo a rigorous assessment process during which they identify the competencies they wish to strengthen. Each student then creates an individual development plan based on current competencies and career aspirations.

One of the most differentiating features of LeaderCORE is the two-step certification process that includes a recently introduced assessment center experience with individual and group exercises, as well as a final defense interview. 

During the interview, candidates are required to present and defend their learning portfolios and provide examples of how they have successfully put their newly developed competencies into practice. Each candidate is interviewed by a pair of trained assessors, one from within the school and the other an experienced business executive. The final assessment determines the student’s level of certification: proficient, superior or role model.

External assessors praised LeaderCORE as a great differentiator for both the school as an institution and for each of the participants.

“With the leadership dimensions instilled in them through the program, LeaderCORE graduates are clearly more prepared to enter the workforce and engage from day one,” says Eileen Morgan, vice president of human resources at Delaware North Cos. “It truly is an important program and one that we are certainly pleased to support.”

The UB School of Management is recognized for its emphasis on real-world learning, community and economic impact, and the global perspective of its faculty, students and alumni. The school also has been ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek, the Financial Times, Forbes and U.S. News & World Report for the quality of its programs and the return on investment it provides its graduates. For more information about the UB School of Management, visit mgt.buffalo.edu.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, the largest and most comprehensive campus in the State University of New York. UB’s nearly 30,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.