THE PhD PROJECT—25 Years Of Diversifying Business School Faculty
Celebrating the successful efforts of a program that has spread diversity throughout the world of business.
The PhD Project, an award-winning program to create diversity in corporate America, celebrated its 25th anniversary at this year’s conference, which culminated with an Anniversary Gala.
BERNARD J. MILANO, PRESIDENT OF THE PHD PROJECT WILL STEP DOWN AFTER LEADING THE PROGRAM FROM ITS INCEPTION.»
The Project invited 337 minority business professionals, out of 586 who applied, to attend the 25th annual Conference, held at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare from November 20-22, 2019. The PhD Project, a 501(c) (3) organization that the KPMG Foundation founded in 1994, recruits underrepresented minorities from business into doctoral programs in all business disciplines.
THE PHD PROJECT WORKS TO DEVELOP ROLE MODELS TO ENCOURAGE MINORITIES TO STUDY BUSINESS AND PURSUE BUSINESS CAREERS.»
The PhD Project’s 25th Anniversary culminated with a Gala Dinner on November 22, 2019 with over 300 attendees. The dinner also celebrated the passion and leadership of Bernard J. Milano, who will step down as President on January 15, 2020. The PhD Project’s anniversary video was shown to kick off the Gala.
The PhD Project works to provide role models to encourage more minority undergraduates to study business and pursue business careers. When it launched in 1994, there were just 294 Black/African-American, Latinx/Hispanic-American or Native American business professors in die United States. The Project’s vision is to diversify corporate America by increasing the number of underrepresented minority business professors who attract more minority students to study business in college.
Since its inception, The PhD Project has been responsible for the increase in the number of underrepresented business PhDs to 1,550, of whom over 1,300 are teaching in U.S. colleges and universities today. Further, dose to 300 minorities are currently enrolled in business doctoral programs and will take a place at the front of the classroom over the next few years.
“The PhD Project’s 25th anniversary is a moment to reflect on our progress, commemorate our achievements and look towards the future,” said Bernard J. Milano, president of The PhD Project and KPMG U.S. Foundation, Inc. “The success of The Project was made possible by the continued investments of our sponsors, supporters and participants. We have quintupled the number of diverse faculty, but the underrepresentation of minorities continues, and much work remains to be done.”
Each year, highly qualified professionals who are considering leaving their careers to enter doctoral programs in business are invited to this annual conference where they hear from deans, professors and current minority doctoral students about the benefits of pursuing a business PhD. Conference participants are provided with the tools and resources they need for the application/admission process to doctoral programs. Once they enter a program, every minority business doctoral student in an AACSB accredited U.S. business school becomes a member of one of The Project’s five (accounting, finance & economics, information systems, marketing and management) Doctoral Student Associations (DSAs). Each year, The Project holds a conference for each of the five DSAs, where the doctoral students come together, forming a strong support network while receiving important tools to help them navigate their doctoral programs.
CURRENTLY THERE ARE OVER 1,300 UNDERREPRESENTED BUSINESS PHDS FROM THE PHD PROJECT TEACHING IN U.S. COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.»
The PhD Project has received ongoing support from its sponsoring companies, participating universities, individuals and organizations. The founding organizations, in addition to the KPMG Foundation, are the Graduate Management Admission Council and AACSB International. Other financial sponsors of The Project include: Diversitylnc, AICPA Foundation, American Marketing Association, Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP, Academy of Management, California State University System, John Deere Foundation, American Accounting Association, Lincoln Financial Group, City University of New York System, NASBA, American Express Foundation, Aerotek, Thrivent Financial, The Pierson Milano Family, New York Life, IMA® (Institute of Management Accountants), Fidelity Investments, Bentley University, Linkedln, and over 300 participating universities.
For more information on The PhD Project, visit: http://www.phdproject.org or contact Lisa King at (646) 234-5080 or lisak@mediaimpact.biz. Visit The PhD Project on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/thephdproject; Follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ThePhDProject
