After conversations with the Black Alumni Association and the Black Business Student Association, The Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) has implemented an action plan to address racial inequity and bias at the institutional level and within the higher education sector.
“After the wave of protests that occurred following the death of George Floyd, senior staff members went on a ‘listening tour’ of our Black students, alumni, staff and faculty to understand where we are falling short as an institution,” said Dr. Sarah A. Soule, GSB’s senior associate dean for academic affairs. “We have heard sobering and powerful accounts of bias, including on our own campus, and the obstacles many in our community have had to overcome to succeed. Although we released our very first report on diversity, equity and inclusion last year, we learned we still have a lot of work to do to increase Black and underrepresented minority student and faculty representation and actively prevent racism at Stanford GSB.”
Under the plan, the goals are to increase representation, maintain institutional accountability, create an inclusive environment and implement positive change outside of the school.
To increase the number of underrepresented faculty members, Stanford GSB will improve its recruitment strategies by partnering with alumni to identify talented Black lecturers.
During the hiring process, biases will be identified and an internship program will be established in order to attract talented potential staff stemming with disadvantaged backgrounds.
Stanford GSB will also participate in the Impacts of Race in America: Faculty Cluster Hire, one of the initiatives of Dr. Marc Tessier-Lavigne, president of Stanford University. The search looks for scholars who will study the impact of race within the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), social sciences and humanities fields.
To increase the number of Black students pursuing a master’s in business or a doctoral degree at the university, recruitment will occur from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and organizations such as the Ph.D Project. Additionally, the Stanford Building Opportunities for Leadership Diversity (BOLD) Fellowship will be launched to support those students who have “shown a deep commitment to obtaining an education in the face of financial hardship,” according to the action plan.
