Graduate School Channel
The PhD Project: People, Power, Results
By Lisa King
Higher education is rife with change these days.
The Supreme Court's recent decision to leave
intact the admissions process at the University of Michigan Law School
was just the tip of the iceberg. There continue to
be discussion and transformation among academics as well as politicians on
what is best for higher education. Many programs have been developed as a
result of the lack of diversity in our nation's colleges and universities.
One of these programs, The PhD Project, was created in 1994 to address the
under- representation of minority faculty at business schools. The results
to date are outstanding. This program is making a difference.
The People
As a young man, Jeff Brice found the rough side of life all-too-familiar
territory. After a difficult childhood, he enrolled as an undergraduate at
Tuskegee University. What his classmates and professors did not know was
that he was homeless. For three years, he lived in a graveyard. Then he
landed a job in a campus dormitory–it provided room and board. Following an
entrepreneurial route upon graduating, Brice became a music video producer
"without even knowing what a producer was. I had no experience in films, but
I found out that you could put a crew together for $25,000, make a video in
two weeks, and get $100,000 for it. I saw an opportunity and I took it."
Once tired of the video production business, Brice saw another
opportunity and took it--the opportunity to become a business school
professor. With the help of The PhD Project, Dr. Jeffrey Brice now teaches
entrepreneurship at Hofstra University, where he brings his real-world
experiences to the classroom. Because of this, his students are better
prepared to tackle a more realistic and practical view of how to build a
business.
Dr. Brice is one of hundreds of minorities who have discovered the
benefits of becoming a professor, thanks to The PhD Project. In an effort to
combat the lack of diversity in the front of the classroom, The PhD Project,
a multi-million dollar corporate and academic-led effort to increase
minority representation (African-American, Hispanic-American and Native
American) among business professors, was developed. Since The PhD Project
was founded in 1994, the number of minority professors at U.S. business
schools has more than doubled, from 294 to 645.
"When students of color see a professor of color teaching, they tend to
want to attend that person's classes," said Mel Stith, dean at Florida State
University's (FSU) College of Business. "Students of color see a greater
opportunity to develop mentor relationships when they attend classes taught
by professors of color," Stith added.
"I'm a role model as soon as I walk into the classroom," says Laquita
Blockson, a professor at Florida International University. "When I enter the
room and say ‘I'm Professor Blockson,' I can hear them say, "Whoa!" Dr.
Blockson first began contemplating a career as an educator as an
undergraduate at Florida A&M University when she realized that academics
came in all colors: "I had never seen so many Black faculty before." But a
corporate career beckoned, and she became a real estate executive for Taco
Bell. The dream of teaching simmered on a back burner, and eventually, she
attended a PhD Project conference. There, her life changed in an instant:
"It all hit home." I realized, "You were chosen. This is your profession.'
The Program
Dr. Blockson's story is a familiar one to many of those attending The PhD
Project conference, held every November in Chicago. The PhD Project conducts
a nationwide marketing campaign—identifying minorities willing to leave
their corporate jobs, return to academia to earn a Ph.D., and become
business professors. Top candidates are invited to a three-day conference,
where they meet with current minority business professors and
representatives from Ph.D. programs across the country. They get all the
information they need to make the transition from business to academia.
Furthermore, The PhD Project pays airfare and lodging for the conference.
Once enrolled in a doctoral program, students become members of one of
the five Minority Doctoral Students Associations (one for each
discipline—Accounting, Finance, Information Systems, Management and
Marketing). They meet once a year (again, all expenses paid by The PhD
Project) for peer and mentoring support, which is extremely important for
people who might be the only minorities in their doctoral program. The
dropout rate for PhD Project participants is only eight percent—much smaller
than the over thirty-three percent rate for all doctoral students. And, 99%
of PhD Project graduates are in academic careers as compared to the national
average of 67% for new Ph.D. graduates, as reported by AACSB.
The Power
Recently, The PhD Project surveyed undergraduate and graduate students at
U.S. colleges taking classes from minority professors. The survey disclosed
that minority professors are having an astonishing impact on the education
of both minority and non-minority students. When asked, 96% of minority
respondents said minority professors are positively impacting their
education. Furthermore, 83% of non-minority respondents believe that
minority professors are having a positive impact on their education.
 "The
PhD Project's goal is to diversify the front of the classroom as a means to
better prepare students for a diverse work environment," says Bernard J.
Milano, President of the KPMG Foundation, founder, lead sponsor and
administrator of The PhD Project. "It is reassuring to know students feel
minority professors are impacting positively on their education. Now we know
we are succeeding in our mission."
Other results from the student survey include the following:
- 93% of ALL respondents feel that minority professors are positively
impacting the education of minority students.
- 84% of ALL respondents feel that minority professors are positively
impacting the education of non-minority students.
- 88% of ALL respondents feel that minority professors positively
impact career decisions of minority students.
- 69% of ALL respondents feel that minority professors positively
impact career decisions of non-minority students.
- 69% of ALL respondents feel that students will be better prepared to
work in a business environment as a result of their having had a
minority professor.
The PhD Project also recently surveyed deans at more than 100 U.S.
colleges and universities that revealed that hiring minority professors is
the key to attracting minority students. Asked to report on their experience
since hiring minority professors, 80% of business schools deans say hiring
minority professors has helped them attract more minority students.
"Colleges and universities have tried many methods of increasing student
diversity—but this survey demonstrates that having a diverse faculty is a
sure way of attaining that goal," Milano said.
Other results from the dean's survey include the following:
- 91.4% report that minority professors positively impact the
education of minority students
- 87.5% say that minority professors are having a positive impact on
career mentoring for minority students
- 73.3% reported that minority professors are positively impacting the
attitudes of non-minority faculty toward minority students and minority
issues
- 69.9% say that students, regardless of race, who have taken a class
from a minority professor, will be better prepared for a business career
The Results
The success of the PhD Project is undeniable. In 1993, when the program
began, there were only 294 African-American, Hispanic, or Native American
professors at U.S. business schools. Today, there are 645 minority business
professors—an increase of more than 118%. Further, 400 minorities are
currently enrolled in doctoral programs, and will take a place at the front
of the classroom in the next few years.
In total, the number of minority business professors will have tripled in
just over a decade. However, the success of The PhD Project is more than
just numbers.
The minority professors created by The PhD Project are mentoring the next
generation of minority business leaders, conducting groundbreaking research
on previously neglected topics, and bringing fresh viewpoints to the
education of all students.
Dr. Leyland Lucas, a professor at Morgan State University, is one of
those making a difference. "I always tell my students to aim for the stars.
If you fail, you'll end up in the clouds."
For more information, see http://www.phdproject.org.
Lisa King has been working with The PhD Project since
its inception in 1994.
|
