Funded by an endowment established by Charles Lofgren Sr. ’27 in 1984.

The Alumni Business Fellowship is an unusual opportunity for Carleton Alumni who are strongly committed to a business career and who are at the point where a mid-career educational opportunity could transform a career.

The Fellowships are intended to encourage alumni to consider educational opportunities that might not be possible under other circumstances. Full-time study or intensive programs such as an executive MBA are two options frequently proposed in previous competitions. In addition, part-time study intended as a program, rather than an occasional course, may also be seen as appropriate by the selection committee. Fellowships typically cover all or a portion of tuition, fees, and related costs for up to two years of study.

These Fellowships are primarily intended for Carleton alumni who are already committed to a business career and who wish to undertake an intensive program of mid-career education in order to transform their careers by expanding their potential leadership roles within the for-profit sector of the economy.

The Lofgren Vision

After many years of observing young people in business careers, Charles Lofgren ’27 became concerned that the pressures to perform within the confines of corporate junior- and middle-management roles can lead to a narrowing of vision, knowledge and perspective — even among graduates of fine liberal arts colleges. He believed, as do most other observers, that real progress in solving our economic and political problems, on both a national and world scale, can only be achieved if more of our business leaders develop and maintain broad perspectives and knowledge of the world economy and political system, and understand the way the corporate organization affects productivity.

In 1984, Mr. Lofgren, therefore, endowed a fellowship program at Carleton College designed to encourage Carleton alumni with established commitments to a career in business to seek a broadening mid-career educational experience to increase their potential for impact. Typically this can be achieved by a certain kind of M.B.A. program — one focused on basic courses in the disciplines relevant to business and the political economy — but other programs of business-related study can be proposed.