Amid Black Lives Matter protests this summer, the 14 college of business deans of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) decided to make a joint statement in support of diversity, equity and inclusion in their programs.
They are “soundly committed to fostering a sense of community that is welcoming to and respectful of all individuals — students, faculty and staff,” their statement read.
“Likewise, it is our duty to prepare our future business leaders for careers in an international and increasingly diverse workforce. We strive for inclusion, equity and diversity where all voices, viewpoints and backgrounds are valued and supported.”
The SEC — the college athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama — includes the University of Alabama, University of Arkansas, Auburn University, the University of Florida, the University of Georgia, the University of Kentucky, Louisiana State University, the University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, the University of Missouri, the University of South Carolina, the University of Tennessee, Texas A&M University and Vanderbilt University.
After the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minnesota, “We all just said, ‘we’ve got to do something,’” says Dr. Sharon Oswald, dean of the college of business and professor of management at Mississippi State University. “Everybody was in agreement.”
To Dr. Eli Jones, it was important for the group of leaders to take an official, collective stance amid an ongoing national conversation about racism. He’s the dean and a professor of marketing at the business school at Texas A&M University.
“I’m an African American business dean at a top 20 public business school,” Jones says. “I felt like I should be the one to tee this up. And I have really good partners. We’re all happy that we were actually able to send a strong signal to the public that, as part of our Southeastern Conference, we all embrace diversity, equity and inclusion.”
