MSU’s History Tells the Story…
And it isn’t pretty for the Broad School of Business.
After writing about my disappointment in the lack of women speakers for MSU’s Business School’s premiere program, I was contacted by Dean Duncan - dean of Michigan State University’s Broad College of Business.
Dean Duncan informed me other women were invited to be on the program but none were available that day.
One woman, originally on the program, could not make it and found a replacement - a male.
(If the only woman could not make the program, why wouldn’t MSU hit the phones to find another woman to keep the diversity on their panel?)
Dean Duncan closed his email by saying “I’m sure we could do better” - and I do agree.
I began to wonder if perhaps I’m being a bit tough on MSU. Maybe this really was just a busy year for all the women graduates?
So, I went to the MSU Broad College website and found history of the speakers for the last ten years. Here’s what I found:
Year Women - Men
- 2007 0-7
- 2006 1-7
- 2005 0-7
- 2004 0-6
- 2003 0-7
- 2002 1-6
- 2001 1-6
- 2000 1-5
- 1999 1-5
- 1998 1-5
Over the last ten premiere events of the Broad Business School, there were 6 women speakers and 61 male speakers.
Women have been part of the program less than 10% of the time.
Given the wonderful education business school students (typically half female students) get at MSU, I don’t understand why more women haven’t been added to these programs.
It sends a message to the public that there are no strong women executives or experts who could speak on these business topics.
No wonder women still don’t make equal wages as men.
When major, well-respected schools put out a message that it’s okay to not acknowledge the accomplishments of women - and are able to get funding for it from major corporations such as GM, it feels like we have turned back the hands of time.
MSU and GM, you can do better. It’s time to start some new traditions.
Makes me think of chapter leaders…do you have outdated traditions that need to be changed to make your chapter more relevant to your members?
Filed under: Getting More Members Involved, Savvy Leadership
An all-white, all-male b-school forum. Hmmmm. Must be the 1950s. NO? So why would anyone, not just a savvy businesswoman, NOT see that MSU is woefully behind the times? The face of America has changed - for the better! There is diversity in business, diversity in communities, diversity in the workplace.
To attend a business program that recognizes NONE of that is a waste of both time and money. Toss that brochure and find something that is CURRENT and recognizes REALITY.
Hi Cynthia,
I appreciate you talking about and confronting the hard stuff. I’m a woman business owner and a PhD candidate and see the same conversation in other aspects of business.
The lack of showcasing panels that truly reflect our country (women, as well as Latino American, African American, Asian American and Arab-American) is a painful missing. Not being able to find women for the event is not enough - especially for a large corporation and a leader in institutional learning. As far as I’m concerned there are no excuses - only results.
Thanks for letting me share.
Shawne Duperon
CEO, ShawneTV
Jill and Shawne,
Thanks for your comments. I’m thrilled powerful women such as yourselves are speaking up.
I’m not sure how MSU’s almost all white male review has slid by for so many years - and enough is enough!
The Dean sent me his annual report to correct my perception of how MSU. Wait until you get my analysis of that. I can’t believe he would send it out proudly.
Cynthia
Your posts have me thinking about responsibility. To be a financially successful organization, internal audits need to take place at regular intervals to update and stay on track with current goals and economic conditions. If a company doesn’t track their financials, good intentions can’t make up for the problems that develop. Hey companies hire secret shoppers to audit their people’s customer service behaviors to keep in alignment with their goals. The same is true for diversity and global issues. Every successful organization has a responsibility to conduct internal audits on how well they are doing in these areas.
I may be a bit optimistic, but I believe most organizations have good intentions, but they also need systems put into place to ferret out those outdated behaviors, such as the all-male lead business program. If they don’t do it, others may call attention to it if they are lucky so that change can take place, or worse yet, they won’t receive feedback, and the lack of change will have a negative impact on all.
As a business owner, it has me asking myself the question:
“What systems have I put in place to be responsible for these issues and in what areas can I do better?”
Hi Cynthia,
I really appreciate you tackling the hard issues here on your blog. It is unacceptable that a business school is unable to secure women executives as a part of thier annual forum in the 21st Century. I am currently researching Masters programs. I can assure you I will not be giving consideration to a program that is deficient of women.
Awareness is the first step to change. What Cynthia has accomplished with these recent posts is to target awareness about diversity, outdated traditions, and relevancy . It’s important to keep the focus on the VALUE of her comments vs. labeling them as anything else.
What IS your awareness on these topics? More importantly, what tangible actions and behaviors do you demonstrate within your own business environment to support diversity, change outdated traditions, or maintain relevancy for all (consciously or unconsciously)?
It’s better to be proactive than reactive. We all know that. Will MSU change it’s practices? Who knows? But the real question to pose is, “What will YOU do?” Actions speak louder than words.
Do your actions convey unwavering support for contemporary thought and evolved behavior? The answer may be telling.
Step up to the real challenge that Cynthia has presented. Look to your own “statistics” around diversity, outdated behaviors and relevancy. The results may reveal the conscious or unconscious portrayal of your beliefs. And you, too, could even find the outcome unexpectedly…”fascinating.”