Minority Business School Professors Having an Overwhelming Impact on Career Decisions of Minority and Non-Minority Students, Surveys Reveal

Published 02-17-05

Submitted by Ph.D. Project

MONTVALE, N.J. - A survey of undergraduate and graduate students and business school deans at U.S. colleges and universities reveals that minority professors are having an astonishing impact on the career decisions of both minority and non-minority students. When asked, 85% of minority student respondents said minority professors are positively impacting their career decisions. When university business school deans were asked the same question, 77% said minority professors are positively impacting their students' career decisions.

The survey was conducted by the Bernard Hodes Group on behalf of The PhD Project, a multi-million dollar corporate and academic-led effort to increase minority representation among business professors. 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 746 minority business professors. Further, 417 minorities are currently enrolled in doctoral programs, and will take a place at the front of the classroom in the next five years.

The PhD Project surveyed undergraduate and graduate students taking classes from minority professors and minority doctoral students to gauge the impact those instructors are having on minority and non-minority students' education. They also surveyed university business school deans.

"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 and doctoral students are impacting positively on their career decisions and education. Now we know we are succeeding in our mission."

Other results from the student survey include:

90% of seniors about to graduate said minority professors are positively impacting their career decisions.

92% of ALL respondents feel that minority professors are positively impacting the education of minority students.

82% of ALL respondents feel that minority professors are positively impacting the education of non-minority students.

65% of ALL respondents feel that minority professors positively impact career decisions of non-minority students.

77% 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.

Other results from the business school deans' survey include:
When asked: In comparison to non-minority professors, how are minority professors impacting these aspects of your business program?

81% of respondents said that minority professor and/or minority doctoral teaching assistants are having a positive impact on the education of minority students.

69% of respondents said that minority professor and/or minority doctoral teaching assistants are having a positive impact on attracting minority students.

Furthermore:

69% of respondents feel that students who have taken a class taught by a minority business professor or a minority doctoral teaching assistant are better prepared for a business career.

The 919 respondents to the student survey are currently enrolled in at least one course taught by a minority professor or doctoral student (African-American, Hispanic-American or Native American). Among the respondents, 60 percent are white, 20 percent African-American with the remaining 20 percent consisting of Hispanic (White and Black), Asian-Americans, Native Americans or "other".

There were 95 total respondents to the deans' survey.

Some of America's top companies and academic organizations support The PhD Project: KPMG Foundation, Graduate Management Admission Council, Participating Universities, Citigroup Foundation, Ford Motor Company, AACSB International, AICPA, Merrill Lynch & Co. Foundation, Inc., Abbott Laboratories, State Street Corporation, JPMorgan Chase, Robert K. Elliott, Goldman, Sachs & Co., Hewlett-Packard Company.

For a copy of the full survey reports, or to learn more about The PhD Project, please visit: www.phdproject.com.

Minority Business School Professors Having an Overwhelming Impact on Career Decisions of Minority and Non-Minority Students, Surveys Reveal

Minority Business School Professors Having an Overwhelming Impact on Career Decisions of Minority and Non-Minority Students, Surveys Reveal

Ph.D. Project

Ph.D. Project

Join today and get the latest delivered to your inbox