Yale School of Management

 

The Yale School of Management is fully committed to diversity along many dimensions — racial, ethnic, national, and socioeconomic background; sexual orientation; gender; age; veteran status; religious belief; thought and opinion; professional aspirations; and more.

Outside the classroom, our small community is engaged, supportive, and involved; in class, our integrated MBA curriculum model presents business concepts in a multidisciplinary context that uniquely addresses the problems confronted by today’s diverse global workforce.

Our commitment manifests itself in many tangible ways. In the 2006 – 2007 academic year, Yale SOM had the highest percentage of women enrolled among leading business schools, according to a census released by the Forté Foundation. In May of 2007, the National Society of Hispanic MBAs honored Yale SOM with its Destino Community Organization Award, and the School is consistently ranked among the Top 10 of Graduate MBA programs by Hispanic Business magazine.

In the spring of 2008, the Yale School of Management announced a partnership with The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, the premier organization for diversity and inclusion in American business. Yale SOM is the 14th member school in this organization, whose mission is to enhance diversity in business education and leadership by helping to reduce the serious underrepresentation of African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans in both our member schools’ enrollment and the ranks of management. Through its member schools, The Consortium provides over $11 million annually in full-tuition, merit-based MBA fellowships to students with a demonstrated commitment to the mission of the organization.

Finally, in the summer of 2009, the school plans to launch the Pre-MBA Leadership Program, a two-week program designed for college juniors and seniors, or recent college graduates, who are committed to diversity and inclusion in school and in the workplace. The Pre-MBA Leadership Program is designed to develop business and leadership skills, as well as to provide an introduction to how an MBA can lead to a career with positive social impact.

Despite this record of achievement and recognition, we — as a community and an institution — continue to strive to further strengthen our diversity commitments. The administration of the school, including Dean Sharon M. Oster, in partnership with the Yale SOM Student Government, supports the Standing Task Force on Diversity, a working group of SOM students, faculty, and staff, originally established in 2007.

In the 2007-2008 school year, the task force developed and approved a Vision Statement on Diversity at the Yale School of Management, as well as implementation principles in support of that vision. Both the statement and the principles were subjected to a transparent, inclusive process of discussion and review by the Yale SOM community in the spring of 2008:

Our Diversity Vision

Diversity is an essential element of the Yale School of Management's mission to educate leaders for business and society, and of our distinctive model of values based leadership.  An effective leader for business and society is one who is able to hear, understand and communicate with people from all segments of society.  In order to educate such leaders, Yale SOM is committed to promoting diversity and creating a community that cultivates a wealth of perspectives.  Leaders from Yale SOM are comfortable with difference, believe in the value of diverse perspectives and aspire to lead organizations and communities across boundaries.  

We are committed to building a Yale School of Management community that is diverse across many dimensions, including race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical ability, nationality, socioeconomic status, religion, political opinion, education, and professional experience and aspirations.  While a breadth of perspectives is important, we are especially concerned with having the most difficult conversations, hearing the voices least heard and providing leadership where it is urgently needed.

Implementing Our Vision

Implementing our vision of diversity is an ongoing and dynamic process that shapes students before, during, and after their time at the Yale School of Management. 

Yale SOM diversity initiatives include, but are not limited to:

Students and Alumni

Yale School of Management students come to the School with a wide array of backgrounds and aspirations, and find a community here that is both supportive and inspiring. Read about their experiences in their own words.

Our alumni also attest to the ways in which the School challenged and encouraged them as they pursued their professional goals and aspirations. Some of our distinguished alumni who have served or currently serve on the School’s Board of Advisors, include Indra K. Nooyi ’80, President and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo; Edward J. De La Rosa ’81, Founder and President of E.J. De La Rosa & Co., Inc.; and Mark D. Walton ’79, Executive Vice President for Sponsorship and Corporate Development of The Africa Channel.

Yale SOM: A Supportive Community

Student Clubs
With over 50 Student Clubs, the Yale School of Management provides abundant opportunities and resources for students to connect with others who share similar backgrounds or personal or professional interests. Some of our Student Club offerings are listed below (view the complete list of student clubs). If you’d like to find out more about a particular club or affiliation, contact our Admissions Ambassadors, current Yale MBA students who are available to talk with you about their own experiences with their respective organizations.

Reflecting a Diversity of Backgrounds, including:

Reflecting a Diversity of Professional Interests, including:

Activities Throughout the Year
At the Yale School of Management, diversity is celebrated in many ways throughout the year. For example, International Month features discussions on business and society around the globe. Country-specific presentations and events take place on numerous evenings throughout the month. The celebration culminates in a gala evening of music, food and drink from the many countries represented by our student body.

In February, Black History Month represents a time to acknowledge the achievements and legacy of African-Americans, and to celebrate and appreciate diversity. Black History Month has been marked in a variety of ways in the past years, including a special screening of Spike Lee’s documentary “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts,” a Workforce Diversity Panel featuring both Yale SOM alumni and other corporate executives, and lectures and presentations by prominent African-American business leaders.

The Integrated Curriculum
In addition to the wealth of student-sponsored events and activities, the innovative Yale Integrated MBA Curriculum, introduced in 2006, promotes a diversity of inquiry and opinion in its multidisciplinary approach to management education.

In January, the required International Experience affords all first-year students the opportunity to explore and learn about new cultures and business contexts. The new curriculum is based on the idea of being adept at working across boundaries, including geographic, cultural, and political boundaries. As one part of this effort, in January, the required International Experience affords all first-year students the opportunity to explore and learn about new cultures and business contexts.

Scholarships
To help identify some of the many financial resources that may be available to help promote diversity in the Yale School of Management student body, the School has compiled a list of scholarship resources from organizations outside the University that are available to MBA students. In addition, through our newly-established partnership with The Consortium, MBA students with a demonstrated commitment to diversity will be eligible for full-tuition, merit-based fellowships.

In addition, a wide range of merit scholarships, a number of which are designated for individuals with specific backgrounds or professional aspirations, are also available directly from Yale SOM. Recent additions to our merit scholarship offerings include funds reserved for alumni of Teach for America, and opportunities for up to two active-duty military officers per year to attend Yale SOM at significantly reduced tuition based on a Memorandum of Agreement between Yale SOM and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Strategic Partnerships
The Yale School of Management actively seeks to engage with organizations committed to diversity in MBA education. Among our current partner organizations are:

Special Admissions Events
The School’s Admissions Office sponsors or participates in a number of MBA admissions events throughout the year. View the complete calendar of Yale SOM Admissions Events online.

In the Fall of 2007, Yale SOM took part in Forte Foundation Forums in Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Houston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and London; and Idealist Fairs in Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, D.C., and New York.

Yale SOM Admissions representatives also traveled around the world in the past year, participating in the MBA fairs in Beijing, Frankfurt, Lima, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Milan, Monterrey, Sao Paolo, Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei, Tokyo, and Toronto.

Finally, Yale SOM’s own annual Explore Diversity Weekend takes place this year from November 8 through 10, 2008. Explore Diversity provides prospective students with an opportunity to experience the diversity and excellence of the Yale School of Management first-hand. From special presentations, to sitting in on classes, to one-on-one interactions with Yale MBA students, Explore Diversity is our chance to introduce you to our supportive community and to demonstrate our commitment to our mission of educating leaders for business and society.

 

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