Career Advancement is pleased to announce that University Trustee Byron D. Trott, AB’81, MBA’82, and his wife Tina Trott have made a generous gift to endow the UChicago Careers in Business Program, which will be renamed the Trott Business Program. Byron Trott is the Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of merchant bank BDT & MSD Partners.
Launched in 2006 with the support of Byron and Tina Trott and other generous donors as Chicago Careers in Business (CCIB), the Trott Business Program has ignited a transformation in student outcomes: each year, students in the program graduate with post-graduation placement rates at or near 100%. The program has achieved these remarkable results by expanding the career resources available to all students, strengthening employer relations and development, and increasing alumni connections and engagement with UChicago.
The Trott Business Program builds on UChicago’s world-class liberal arts foundation to give students a competitive edge in their professional development and recruiting outcomes. Designed in collaboration with the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, program activities support students who aspire to careers in a wide range of business fields, including investment banking, asset management, private equity, sales and trading, consulting, corporate, marketing, and advertising.
The program recently admitted its 10th program cohort, the Class of 2019, and continues to experience high student interest in admission to the program. The Trott Business Program also has a growing network of 600 alumni, a number that is on pace to increase to 1,000 in three years.
The impact of the Trott Business Program extends far beyond the community of students admitted to the program. Participants have contributed to an increasing student focus on business career exploration, skill development, and the job and internship recruiting process even among their non-member peers. The past 10 years have seen not only increased interest in the Trott Business Program, but also growth in student engagement with Career Advancement, the number and variety of business-focused student organizations, and interest in coursework at Chicago Booth, all contributing to stronger student outcomes upon graduation.
With this generous gift from Byron and Tina Trott, the College and Career Advancement will be able to continue the legacy created by their initial support for the program and promote the journey of a worldwide network of future business leaders.