In the spring of 2006, just weeks before the end of school, 11 MBA students and one faculty member from the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management stumbled upon the book: The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid by C.K. Prahalad. Using this book as a model, the student group developed the plan for an organization dedicated to global poverty alleviation. During this development process, Vanderbilt University Alumnus Muhammad Yunus received the Nobel Peace Prize for founding the Grameen Bank, a Microfinance institution based out of Bangladesh. Taking the model they had developed, the group approached Cal Turner, retired Chairman and CEO of the Dollar General Corporation, to support the launch of the organization. Mr. Turner pledged his total support for the program and thus, Project Pyramid was born.
The Project Pyramid: Global Poverty Alleviation program is a Vanderbilt University organization dedicated to ending global poverty. Through its three pillars - Education, Collaboration, and Sustained Action - Project Pyramid looks to alleviate global poverty by targeting the future leaders of business, education, law, medicine and religion: Vanderbilt University graduate, professional and undergraduate students.
EDUCATION & COLLABORATION
Project Pyramid focuses on SUSTAINABLE ACTION through the promotion of interdisciplinary thought. Project Pyramid has created a network of educational opportunities by leveraging the following world-class institutions on Vanderbilt University’s campus:
• Owen Graduate School of Management
• Divinity School
• Law School
• School of Medicine
• Peabody College of Education & Human Development
The Project Pyramid: Certificate Program will give any Vanderbilt University master’s degree candidate the opportunity to receive a Certificate in Global Poverty Alleviation Studies by taking courses from each participating school. Through classroom learning, international immersions, independent studies and active business management, Project Pyramid provides future world leaders with the tools needed to successfully alleviate global poverty.
ACTION
The Project Pyramid: Business Development Incubator is designed to tackle poverty from two key avenues: Microfinance and Business Development. Each year, based on a rigorous selection process, the Project Pyramid: VC Team will choose up to two Bottom of the Pyramid businesses for which to provide startup funding.
About the Hyderabad, India Trip:
This year, 21 students from the Owen Graduate School of Management and the Divinity School will travel with three faculty members to Hyderabad, India for a 10 day study of poverty. For the past seven weeks 50-plus students enrolled in the course Project Pyramid: Business Applications and Innovations for Alleviating Poverty, used Hyderabad, India as a model for studying poverty alleviation.
The course, taught by Bart Victor, focused on new trends in poverty alleviation. Specifically, the class analyzed Microfinance, Supply Chain Management, Marketing, and Innovation as case topics. The students chosen for the trip will directly apply that theoretical learning as they study Hyderabad and work to develop new business concepts to aid in alleviating poverty in India.
Each year a new city and country will be chosen for study.
Project Pyramid: 2007 Hyderabad, India Trip Partners:
