that can lift the tide of our state and
provide additional leverage in the
way we use and align our educational
resources at our two-year colleges.
Those institutions can offer focused
technical development and training,
providing skilled workers with more
median salaries in the $65,000 to
$70,000 range.”
Crutchfield imagines what could
happen if teens with no intention of
pursuing four-year degrees catch a
vision for acquiring new technology
skills drawing above-average earnings.
The results could “change the economic
complexion of our state,” he says.
“And that’s the reason I’m spending
time down there.”
THE STUDENTS
Jake Warner, Crutchfield’s Chicago-to-
Birmingham seatmate, is one of just
over 300 elite freshmen admitted into
last fall’s STEM-MBA class. Demand
outpaces capacity; of 425 applicants, 65
qualified hopefuls remained on August’s
waiting list. Although STEM-MBA ACT
scores are pretty similar — ranging
from 28 to 36 — Warner’s classmates
are otherwise diverse, representing
multiple ethnicities, interests and
regions.
More than 77 percent of his class is
from out of state. Two are internationals.
One-third of the class is female. Most are
drawn not only to challenging academics
and the fast-track MBA promise but also
to the program’s extraordinary bonuses.
From group competitions sponsored
by the National Institutes of Health
to hearing internationally renown
speakers, participants do much more
than acquire dual degrees.
Since the first class was admitted
in 2011, candidates have spent their
spare time developing new products
(multiple patents pending), engaging
in philanthropic-focused development
(students worked in India this past
summer) and cultivating a best-and-
brightest culture.
“With my credentials, I did have
a lot of choices,” says Warner, who
graduated from high school in three
years, scoring 2320 out of 2400 on the
SAT. “The primary objective for me was
maximizing the amount of education
I could acquire. I decided to go to UA
because it offers so many options and
top-notch programs, even compared to
more expensive schools. It is the same
quality of education but with the benefit
of an MBA.”
Warner’s studies, like those of
others in his class, include honors-level
courses in his double major.
“The Computer-Based Honors
Program was another cornerstone,
as it enables me to participate in
Some of the women in the STEM Path to the MBA program at UA
