PhD Project Celebrates Diversity in Business with Event at Rutgers-Newark
Celebrating 30 years, The PhD Project – a nationally recognized non-profit organization aimed at diversifying the business world by diversifying the professors leading business school classrooms – will bring its mission to life with a third and final regional anniversary celebration. The event will take place at Rutgers University-Newark on Thursday, November 7 from 2 – 7 p.m.
Hosted by one of The PhD Project’s 2024 Hall-of Fame inductees, Jeffrey Robinson, Interim Chancellor at Rutgers University-Newark, the event will focus on the theme “Creating Corporate Change in America” through guest speakers and panel discussions. Dr. Robinson will share 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. Black Faces in High Places, their second book together, explores the importance of diversifying the ranks of corporate C-suites to strengthen the US economy for everyone. The event, held at Hahne & Company Building, 54 Halsey Street, Express Newark - 2nd Floor, will conclude with a reception.
“Rutgers is home to one of the largest numbers of PhD Project alumni in the country, which makes our Newark campus the perfect place to share what the organization has been able to accomplish over the past 30 years as well as our next steps in creating future change in corporate America,” said Dr. Robinson, who earned a doctorate in Management and Organizations from Columbia University's Graduate School of Business. “We are thrilled to host the final regional celebration of the year on our campus.”
Since its founding in 1994, The PhD Project has helped its more than 1,500 Black/African American, Latinx/Hispanic American and Native American 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 PhD Project was founded by AACSB, GMAC and KPMG and will be honoring KPMG at the 30th anniversary event.
“Our 30th Anniversary exemplifies our three-decade commitment to enriching education for all,” said Blane Ruschak, president of The PhD Project. "From our first regional celebration at University of California - Irvine to our Midwest stop at DePaul University in Chicago to now our headquarters state of New Jersey, we have been able to share our story of how we are impacting business schools, one PhD at a time, and subsequently changing the face of the business industry to ensure it reflects all of us, including those who have been underrepresented for far too long.”
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 and LinkedIn.
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.
