For immediate use
UNC Kenan-Flagler students and Phil Ford Host Charity Basketball Tournament April 28
(Chapel Hill, N.C.—April 24, 2015) – MBA students at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School have partnered with former Carolina basketball star Phil Ford to host a charity basketball tournament April 28 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Woollen Gym.
The co-ed round-robin tournament will raise money for The Phil Ford Foundation, which supports obesity research and prevention efforts at UNC Children’s Hospital and the UNC-Chapel Hill department of Pediatrics.
“About six months ago, I was approached by a professor at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School about this wild idea he had for some MBA students,” said Ford. “The idea was to have about 20 students form a league, and have the students to recruit players to play in this league. Little did I know that the money that they raised is going to help The Phil Ford Foundation, which supports childhood obesity research.”
The tournament is part of the MBA Leadership Immersion Capstone Course, which is unique among business schools. Students spend seven weeks – an entire quarter of their second year as MBA’s – working solely on honing their leadership skills. The module teaches real-world leadership skills through “Apprentice”-style team competitions, business simulations, outdoor challenges, engagement with C-suite executives and individual observation, coaching and feedback.
“Students are challenged to apply leadership lessons to see what they can accomplish in business and in their communities,” said Mindy Storrie, director of leadership development at UNC Kenan-Flagler. “We are thrilled that Phil Ford is providing a valuable learning experience for our students and they can contribute to the important work he is doing through his foundation.”
MBA and other graduate students and undergraduate students will square off to raise money for the foundation. Tickets are $5 and available at the door and at philfordcharitybasketball.eventbrite.com.
-Carolina-
UNC Kenan-Flagler contact: Allison Adams, (919) 962-7235, aadams@unc.edu
Communications and Public Affairs contact: (919) 445-8555, mediarelations@unc.edu