By Janie Ho

On a rainy spring morning in New York, Ime Archibong, who's entering Stanford University Graduate School of Business in the fall, was sitting in a brightly lit boardroom at Citigroup (C ) headquarters brainstorming with six other future MBAs over a marketing plan for Yoplait yogurt. On the table in front of them are other products from Yoplait's maker, General Mills (GIS ): boxes of Cheerios and packages of Fruit Roll-Ups, Chex Mix, and Nature Valley Granola Bars.

Despite the elegant setting, with tables covered in white tablecloths and lavish catering, this is no party for for Archibong and about 130 other minority MBA candidates, this is boot camp, though a very different sort from the military. For one, they're wearing suits and business outfits, not fatigues. And they're being quizzed by executives, not drill sergeants.

It's the culmination of a 15-month MBA prep program run by Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT), an nonprofit organization devoted to increasing the number of minority students enrolled in MBA programs and holding top business positions. The four-day New York session — the third such MBA Boot Camp run by the six-year-old program — enables students to hone the skills they'll need when they enroll in B-school (see "Basic Training" slideshow from BusinessWeek.com).

OPENING A DOOR.  For young professionals such as Archibong, the program is an entry to a world they hardly knew about before. When the former IBM (IBM ) electrical engineer attended a seminar called Passions at Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management a year ago, he had very little awareness of this other business realm of brand management and consumer packaged goods. At the seminar, Archibong was called onstage to answer a series of questions about his passions in life. After continual prodding by MLT's CEO, John Rice, about his goals and interests, Archibong found himself headed for a new career.

The MLT program is designed to help minority students get into top business schools by exposing them to new opportunities and drawing out their leadership qualities. Already, MLT is one of the leading minority-student organizations at the top 10 MBA programs in the U.S. — and recruiters are taking notice.

Citigroup — one of several corporate sponsors of the program — extended 50 offers to MLT participants this year. While other programs, such as the Toigo Foundation and the Consortium, also help minorities get ahead in business, MLT gets a head start by starting the training before they enter college or business school. MLT is helping to groom the next generation of minority community and business leaders with placements this year at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business, and Columbia University Business School.

DOUBLING UP.  A whopping 75% of MLT pre-MBAs will be attending top B-schools in the fall. They already account for 40% of minority first-year students at Harvard Business School, and are going a long way toward improving what some see as a major failing of U.S. business schools — a lack of minority students.

Through corporate seminars, university partnerships, and test prep, MLT hopes that within 10 years it can double the current number of minority first-year MBAs at the top 25 B-schools, which recent figures peg at 900. But with minorities currently representing only 6% to 7% of students at the top 30 MBA programs (vs. 12% to 13% at top law and medical schools), they've got a lot of work ahead of them (see BW, 5/12/03, "B-Schools: A Failing Grade on Minorities").

Lack of awareness is the key reason minorities are grossly underrepresented in the business world, says MLT founder Rice, a Harvard Business School alumnus. According to the Boston Consulting Group, minorities, which make up 26% of the U.S. population, comprise only 3% of those in senior management positions.

VAGUE WORLD.  MLT's program was definitely an eye-opener for Pamela Velarde, who will be a first-year Wharton MBA student in the fall. Velarde says MLT helped raise her GMAT scores with free test prep and pushed her to apply to top-notch schools. "MLT opened my eyes," she says. "Most minorities don't have family or friends that have gone to B-school, so it's like you're already starting with a handicap."

Rice explains this lack of awareness as the root of minority underrepresentation. "The corporate world is much more vague to minorities, whereas careers in law or medicine are more established and reputable," Rice says. After all, an MBA isn't a license — it's worth only what recruiters are willing give to it. To give participants some real-world know-how, MLT has partnered with companies such as McKinsey, Goldman Sachs (GS ), PepsiCo (PEP ), and MTV Networks (VIA ) for sponsorship and to draw on their expertise, which they share through workshops and seminars. (For more on future leaders and diversity in the workforce, see BW, 5/12/2003, "Q&A with Kenan-Flagler's James Johnson".)

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