Colorado State University’s College of Business is partnering with the Latino Leadership Institute (LLI), a Colorado-based organization developing Latino leaders and entrepreneurs by unlocking their full economic and social potential.
The partnership provides a tuition benefit to eligible LLI alumni to continue building leadership skills with a graduate education from one of the College’s world-class online graduate programs. Eligible programs include the College’s online graduate certificates, the Online Master of Computer Information Systems and the Online MBA, which is ranked No. 7 globally.
“As Colorado’s land-grant university and the largest MBA-granting institution in the state, we want the CSU College of Business to make higher education accessible to all Coloradans – including the state’s rapidly growing Latino population,” said Travis Maynard, the College’s senior associate dean of academic programs. “This partnership will help us attract some of the best and brightest Latino leaders to the College’s graduate programs and develop the workforce of the future. We’re excited for the opportunity to prepare them to catapult their careers and transform their communities.”
Latinos are expected to make up nearly 30% of the U.S. population by 2050, and LLI offers resources to help Latino leaders and entrepreneurs unlock their full economic and social impact. Founded in 2014, the nonprofit organization has shaped the lives of countless leaders through its leadership and entrepreneurship programs, including Ignite, a leadership development program designed by Latino leaders for Latino professionals, and LEAP (Latino Entrepreneur Access Program), a 9-month growth-stage accelerator program for Latino and BIPOC business leaders.
“Our partnership with the College of Business opens up opportunities for our alumni to further their leadership development through advanced online graduate programs,” said Aliena Martinez, chief operating officer of LLI. “We are excited to see our leaders continue to thrive in their careers and make a lasting impact on their industries.”
The collaboration between the College and the LLI extends beyond enrolling the nonprofit’s alumni in graduate-level education. The College was recently one of the sponsors of LLI’s 2023 annual gala. Through this sponsorship, the College received a scholarship allowing Paul Santiago, an MBA recruiting coordinator at the College, to participate in a recent LLI Ignite program. The course is intended to help him understand who he is and how to optimize performance to meet the demands placed on today’s leaders. The College is also working with LLI to schedule opportunities for LLI alumni to speak in undergraduate courses in the future.
“It’s truly commendable to witness the College of Business offering diverse avenues for students, staff and alumni to enhance their professional growth,” Santiago said. “Engaging with Latinx leaders and professionals across various fields has been an enriching experience, underscoring the College of Business’ overarching mission of contributing to Business for a Better World.”
In addition to fulfilling the College’s vision of using business to build a better world, this collaboration will further its efforts to engage and enrich the communities that it serves.
“We’re excited for what this partnership could mean for our undergraduate and graduate students,” Maynard said. “We hope this will be a long-term, multi-faceted collaboration between the College and the Latino Leadership Institute.”
