PhD Project Celebrates 30th Anniversary at Rutgers-Newark with Event on Diversity and Transformation in Corporate America

Rutgers-Newark and The PhD Project – a nationally recognized non-profit organization aimed at diversifying the business world by diversifying professors leading business school classrooms–explored creating change in corporate America at an event celebrating The PhD Project’s 30th anniversary.

Hosted by Rutgers-Newark Interim Chancellor Jeffrey Robinson, a PhD Project member and 2024 Hall-of-Fame inductee, the event, held at Rutgers-Newark, featured business leaders and researchers discussing how industry and academia can collaborate to drive success and innovation through inclusivity.

Since its founding in 1994, The PhD Project has helped its more than 1,400 members earn a business PhD in accounting, finance and economics, information systems and sciences, management, and marketing. Its members – including 10 university presidents and 89 deans – are represented at 670 campuses across the country. More than 25 corporate partners and 300+ university partners support The PhD Project’s mission. The Project was founded by AACSB, GMAC and the KPMG Foundation.

At the event, PhD Project President Blane Ruschak presented Anita Whitehead, KPMG U.S. Foundation President & Chair, with an award for KPMG’s vision in founding The PhD Project and their long-standing support. “The KPMG U.S. Foundation is focused on increasing equity and access to opportunities for all, which is why the PhD Project’s mission resonates with us so deeply,” said Whitehead. “By increasing access to education and fostering the next generation of talent from all walks of life, we are creating a more diverse workforce and inclusive environment.”

Ruschak described the impact to the program beyond the success of Project graduates themselves. Emerging, soon-to-be released research from PhD Project members shows a direct correlation between the presence of faculty of color and increased enrollment and graduation rates among students of color. 

“We call this 'The Role Model Effect.' It has an influence on students completing their degrees and becoming members of the workforce,’’ said Ruschak. “The only factor that had more relevance was the demographics of the state. Think how powerful that is. What we’re doing makes a difference.’’

Robinson praised The Project for its success and potential to accomplish more in the years ahead.

“I am looking forward to its future. The question of who is going to stand up and support diversity and make sure that the workforce of tomorrow has representation in the classroom is especially important right now,’’ said Robinson, who earned a doctorate in Management and Organizations from Columbia University's Graduate School of Business.

During the event, he shared the results of his research highlighted in books he co-authored with Randal Pinkett, business consultant and season four winner of the television reality show, The Apprentice. Their second book together, Black Faces in High Places, explores the importance of diversifying the ranks of corporate C-suites to strengthen the US economy for everyone. 

Panelists at the event focused on research impact, bridging academia and the workforce, and building a corporate pipeline for diverse leaders,
Speakers and moderators included dt ogilvie, a Distinguished Professor of Urban Entrepreneurship at the Rochester Institute of Technology; Jose Beltran, Assistant Professor of Human Resources/Organizational Behavior at Rutgers-Camden; Mauricio Mercado, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Syracuse University, and Shalei Simms, Dean of SUNY Old Westbury and a Rutgers alumna.

Others were Azucena Grady-Moreno, a PhD candidate in Management at Texas Tech University, Stephani Mason, a visiting Assistant Professor of Accounting at DePaul University and Rutgers alumna, and Ian Williamson, University of California, Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business Dean.

About The PhD Project 
Founded in 1994, The PhD Project works to increase diversity in the business world. Through its unique model, the nonprofit organization’s Black/African American, Latinx/Hispanic American and Native American members pursue business PhDs with the intent to become university faculty, teaching and guiding students who aspire to a career in business. Since its launch, The Project has been responsible for sextupling the number of underrepresented professors, administrators and academic leaders to more than 1,700 at an extensive list of academic programs, helping hundreds of former business professionals and undergraduate students attain their doctoral degree. The PhD Project also includes approximately 250 students currently enrolled in a business PhD program. For more information on The PhD Project, webinars, sponsors and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.phdproject.org and follow the program on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram

About Rutgers University–Newark
Rutgers University–Newark (RU-N) is a diverse, urban, public research university that is an anchor institution in New Jersey’s cultural capital. It is exceptionally well positioned to fulfill higher education’s promise as an engine of discovery, innovation, and social mobility. It has a remarkable legacy of producing high-impact scholarship that is connected to the great questions and challenges of the world. It is in and of a city and region where its work on local challenges undertaken with partners from many sectors resonates powerfully throughout our urbanizing world. Most importantly, RU-N brings an incredible diversity of people to this work—students, faculty, staff, and community partners—making it more innovative, more creative, more engaging, and more relevant for our time and the times ahead.

About KPMG LLP
KPMG LLP is the U.S. firm of the KPMG global organization, providing audit, tax, and advisory services. The KPMG global organization operates in 143 countries and territories, employing more than 273,000 people worldwide. Each KPMG firm is a distinct legal entity and operates as such. KPMG is recognized for its commitment to community service, diversity and inclusion, and addressing childhood illiteracy. For more information, visit www.kpmg.com/us.