BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo School of Management has awarded LeaderCORE certification to 27 MBA graduates.

They are the inaugural group to complete LeaderCORE (Certification of Readiness and Excellence), an exclusive, comprehensive program that spans the entire two years of the UB MBA experience.

The graduates are: Aditya Anand, Mohammedali Badani, Vibhuti Bansal, Clare Carroll, Katarzyna Dec, Turner Gutmann, Julia Jornsay-Silverburg, Anthony LaRosa, Yihui Li, Jie Liu, Mindy Long, Sara Macie, Emily Mazur, Shruthi Parameswaran Nambi, Makesh Nayar, Anthony Nicodemi, Rafael Pignataro, Harshit Purwar, Sairam Ramakrishnan, Joshua Randle, David Saunders, Arkuti Shastri, Junghoon (Paul) Song, Young Yang, Terri Zelasko, Lin Zhao and David Zimmer.

LeaderCORE was designed to give students the opportunity to study and navigate real-world business situations while developing a set of clearly identified management competencies.

"Through years of experience with corporations and recruiters, we've learned that at the core of every exceptional leader are certain common competencies," says SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Jerry M. Newman, LeaderCORE's "visionary" and a key member of the School of Management's planning team. "LeaderCORE helps students identify which of these competencies they need to shore up and, with the help of volunteer coaches and faculty, they spend their entire two years in the MBA program developing the skills that will enable them to hit the ground running in their post-MBA careers."

LeaderCORE bridges the gap between academic learning and the workplace, focusing on core competencies -- such as teamwork, problem solving, adaptability and integrity -- considered vital by the business community for effective performance and successful leadership. The program is integrated into every aspect of coursework, career and professional development opportunities, internships and more.

In their first semester, LeaderCORE students undergo a rigorous assessment process during which they identify the competencies they wish to strengthen. Each student then creates an individual development plan based on current competencies and career aspirations.

One of the most differentiating features of LeaderCORE is the certification process. Candidates were required to present and defend their learning portfolios and provide examples of how they have successfully put their newly developed competencies into practice. Each candidate was interviewed by a pair of trained assessors, one from within the school and the other an experienced business executive. The final assessment determines the student's level of certification: proficient, superior or role model.

Mindy Long, MBA '12, saw LeaderCORE as an opportunity to distinguish herself from her peers. Her summer internship at New Era Cap Co. helped her gain valuable work experience while also building key competencies. Based on her strong performance in the internship and successful demonstration of her "management readiness," New Era offered Long a permanent place on their team. "I think it definitely set me apart," says Long, who was hired as part of the company's talent development group.

Her new supervisor agrees. Paula Elsinghorst, manager of global talent development for New Era, created internship projects for Long that focused on the leadership skills she viewed as essential. Elsinghorst watched her combine academic and leadership training to solve multilayered problems.

External assessors praised LeaderCORE as a great differentiator for both the school as an institution and for each of the participants.

One such assessor, Joe Kuchera, vice president of human resources at Unifrax, sums it up succinctly: "I am adding LeaderCORE to my radar. This is a talent group I want to hire when possible."

The UB School of Management is recognized for its emphasis on real-world learning, community and economic impact, and the global perspective of its faculty, students and alumni. The school has been ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek, the Financial Times, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report and The Wall Street Journal for the quality of its programs and the return on investment it provides its graduates. For more information about the UB School of Management, visit http://mgt.buffalo.edu.