Dear friends:

A call to increase faculty from underrepresented groups in business schools has rung loud and clear for some time now. Not just at WSU, but across the country, faculty search committees battle to attract quality applicants from a diverse range of communities. One of many important reasons for this pursuit is the presence of faculty from underrepresented backgrounds is known to attract and retain diverse undergraduate students.

Although hiring efforts remain strong, the primary challenge has always been on the supply side—few people from underrepresented groups have been pursuing PhDs.

The PhD Project has worked diligently for over a quarter century to promote diversity among business school faculty and address longstanding representation gaps nationwide. Our college has been a proud member of this prestigious business school group for several years.

The organization was founded in 1994 by the KPMG Foundation, Citi, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, and the Graduate Management Admissions Council. Student members boast a 90 percent doctoral program completion rate compared to a 70 percent average nationwide. Furthermore, 97 percent of those graduates accept faculty positions upon graduation. The program has truly made a difference.

The organization’s prime event is its annual conference in Chicago. Some of the nation’s brightest and most accomplished individuals from historically underrepresented groups gather to explore PhD opportunities and meet with university representatives. MISE department chair, Rob Crossler, recruited for us at the conference recently.

“I left the conference knowing these individuals were going to flourish as they accepted professor positions within the various business disciplines,” he says.

Our PhD Coordinator Titus Nordquist, who has been regularly recruiting for us at the conference, notes it allows us to reach many underrepresented individuals at a single event.

“Most of the attendees are business professionals with workforce experience and an eagerness to advance their careers,” Nordquist says. “It’s also a great way to network with other business staff/faculty to see how they pursue providing better opportunities for these populations.”

WSU Everett Management Professor Joseph Scott Gladstone a Native American, has firsthand experience with the program. He first attended the annual meeting as a potential doctoral student in 2003 and is a participating faculty member. Gladstone says experienced professors screen and evaluate conference applicants for their potential success in doctoral programs.

“Every person accepted to attend the recruiting conference has a very high likelihood of success in whatever program they land in,” Gladstone says.

The PhD Project offers continued support, starting with writing instruction in the first year, exam preparation in the second, and dissertation guidance in the third. It also assists with paper submissions, conference presentations, and job-placement as they begin looking for professor positions. Member universities are provided direct access to candidates. The PhD Project even conducts its own graduation celebration.

Membership doesn’t end after landing that professor job.

“When you graduate from the project, you become a faculty member and are expected to mentor future students and new faculty,” Gladstone says. “The project is kind of like the mafia—once you’re in, you’re in for life!”

Now celebrating its 30^th anniversary, the number of underrepresented faculty in business schools has sextupled since the PhD Project’s inception, and the organization has just seen its 1,764^th professor capped. There’s a long way to go, but with the help of the PhD Project and participation from universities like WSU, faculty diversity is steadily spreading through business schools to the benefit of all.

Chuck Munson,
PhD Program Director