DEAN'S INITIATIVES
In FY19, Berkeley Haas addressed a significant dearth of underrepresented minority (African American, Latinx, and Native American) students at Haas and sought solutions for creating a more inclusive environment for all students, staff, faculty, and alumni.
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Action Plan, launched in Oct. 2018, offered short- and long-term solutions that were enacted thanks in large part to unrestricted Haas Fund donations.
Those solutions included:
- Hiring an interim director of diversity admission for the 2019 incoming class
- Boosting scholarships 63% for the 2019 incoming class
- Devoting $1M for DEI staffing (including a chief DEI officer) and programming
- Increasing funding for diversity initiatives across programs, like diversity-related case competitions and academic endeavors
Dean Ann Harrison, who began her role a few months after the Action Plan’s release, has made DEI one of her top priorities.
* Consistent with UC reporting guidelines
Haas Fund donations have increased funding for diversity initiatives, like case competitions. In January 2019, a team of undergrads tied for a win at the National Diversity Case Competition at Indiana University. Pictured (L-R): Alec Li, BS 20; Claudia Diaz, BS 19; Kiara Taylor, BS 20; and Frances James, BS 21.
Learn more about their win.
Photo: Jim Block
Plenty of top MBA schools say DEI is an important aspect of their program, but not all schools publish an external DEI Action Plan. Haas was very vocal about their plan and this year is definitely a step in the right direction. So there’s hope that if Haas can do that in one year, what other initiatives can be pushed in the DEI space?”
— New student Geo Guillen, MBA 21, of Latinx heritage, on why he chose Berkeley Haas
Read about Berkeley Haas’ DEI efforts in the summer issue of Berkeley Haas magazine.