DURHAM, N.C. - MBA students at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business want to help small businesses and nonprofit organizations in the Triangle area that are in need of consulting help but cannot afford to pay the typical fees of consulting agencies.

Through the Fuqua Small Business Consulting Program, MBA students can take a for-credit course to help companies solve their business problems, and companies can benefit from the students' analyses and recommendations related to their business challenges.

To be considered for the program, businesses must meet the following criteria:

-- Be in business for at least one year;

-- Be within a one-hour drive of Duke;

-- Have revenues exceeding $100,000 for the past business year;

-- Management must be willing to provide financial data (two-year minimum) and operational data to the student consultants;

-- Management must be available to meet with the student team a minimum of five times during the course of the consulting engagement (October 2010 through April 2011);

-- Management will pay a $200 administrative fee if accepted into the consulting program.

Fuqua Professor of Strategy William Sax, who oversees the program, regularly reviews the students' progress until they successfully complete the project with a formal oral and written presentation for the client. Every student signs a letter of confidentiality before the consulting engagement begins.

The Fuqua School of Business is now accepting applications for the fall 2010 consulting program. The application deadline is Aug. 31.

Interested parties can obtain a brochure and application by calling Beverly James at (919) 660-7789 or via e-mail at texas@duke.edu.

The program application, brochure, and overview are also available online at www.fuqua.duke.edu/studentconsulting. Click on Small Businesses on the left side, then on application, brochure and overview on the right.