Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/535050
JULY | AUGUST 2015 BizEd 63 Gender Equality by 2020 IN MARCH, THE UNIVERSITY of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business in College Park announced its 50/50 by 2020 Pledge, in which it plans to take steps to enroll equal numbers of men and women in its programs by the year 2020. The move is in response to evidence that although women make up the majority of those earning college degrees, they still lag behind in business disciplines. AACSB In- ternational's 2014 Business School Data Guide reports that most MBA programs in North America enroll 30 percent to 40 percent women. Among all the MBA programs oered at the Smith School, women represent- ed 31 percent of enrollment in fall 2013 and 32 percent in fall 2014. In a first step toward reaching its 2020 target, in 2014 the Smith School became an educational partner of the Forté Foundation, a consortium dedicat- ed to empowering women in the work- place. That partnership will translate to new scholarships, events, and career opportunities for women on campus. Other 50/50 by 2020 initiatives will focus on recruiting and admissions strategies designed to attract more women to Smith's programs; alumni support through the school's Wom- en's Alumni Network; and student programming²to support women MBA candidates, including podcasts, a salary negotiation seminar, an MBA career fair, women's speaker series, and wom- en-only corporate networking events and symposia. The Smith School will post updates and solicit feedback on its 50/50 by 2020 pledge at rhsmith.umd.edu/about-us/ diversity/women. In the fall 2014 semester, women made up 32 percent of MBA enrollments at the Smith School. The UCI Paul Merage School of Business approaches business education from a dierent perspective. At only 50 years old, our top-ranked faculty are at the forefront of creating knowledge that shapes the future of business and our graduates are global leaders transforming the way business gets done. merage.uci.edu Dierent by design... UCI Paul Merage School of Business