A l u m n i M a g a z i n e - Duke University's Fuqua School of Business

a commitment TO DIVERSITY
Fuqua students find that living and
learning in a diverse community helps
them to prepare for their professional
lives in the global marketplace. Their
experience at the school helps shape
their world view and fosters a mind
set that is open to different perspectives,
new ideas and innovative solutions.
The month of November offered
many opportunities for students to
immerse themselves in Fuqua’s culture
of diversity.
As a tribute to women in business,
Fuqua’s Association of Women in
Business (AWIB) hosted The
Committee of 200 (C200) conference
on Wednesday, November 15.
An international organization of
leading businesswomen, C200 celebrates
entrepreneurship and corporate
leadership among future women business
leaders.
The conference, which is open to
the public, was aptly titled, “Career
Strategies in the New Economy” and
included panel discussions lead by
senior-level women focusing on
finance, consulting, marketing, e-business,
health care and global business.
Fuqua was honored to have
Bernee D.L. Strom, chairman and
CEO of iCopyright.com, to step in as
the keynote speaker at the last minute.
Gail Evans, executive vice president
of CNN, could not make it to the conference
due to the on-going presidential
election coverage.
To assist in the development of
future business leaders, C200 awarded
a $25,000 scholarship to first-year student,
Lisa Maxwell, as part of the
C200/Nancy Sanders Peterson Scholar
Award program.
To further embrace the concept of
diversity, Fuqua held the 21 st annual
Ford Minority Workshop on
Thursday, November 16 through
Saturday, November 18. Fuqua and
corporate sponsor, Ford Motor
Company, teamed up to acknowledge
and develop diversity among business
professionals. The workshop, which
touted the theme, “Forging Success
Through Diversity,” is offered every
year to members of minority ethnic
groups who are interested in management
careers in business.
The primary goals for the workshop
are to give prospective minority
MBA students an overview of what
national MBA programs have to offer,
introduce them to the fundamental
disciplines of management education
and provide an in-depth exploration of
potential career opportunities.
Hosted by student members of
Fuqua’s MBA Association, the Black
MBA Organization and the Asian
American Organization, this three-day
workshop attracts many Fuqua alumni
and prominent members of the business
community who come to share
their professional insights with the
participants. The workshop featured
keynote speaker Derek Penn ’84,
head of Equity and Debt Trading at
Fidelity Investments.
The 7 th annual Diversity
Conference was held at Geneen
Auditorium on November 29 and
featured keynote speaker Zoe
Dunning from Webvan. Corporate
sponsors for the event include
Goldman Sachs as the lead sponsor,
joined by Booz-Allen & Hamilton
and Procter & Gamble. The theme,
“Diversity as the Competitive
Advantage,” emphasized students’
future roles as senior managers and
the skills needed to manage the
diverse workforces of today.
Cultural backgrounds, individual
differences and new perspectives are
just a few of the characteristics that
make Fuqua a success in promoting
diversity among its community.
Other activities and programs
conducted here at Fuqua which
clearly express the school’s commitment
to maintain a diverse environment,
include:
The Invitational for Admitted
Minority Applicants
An event that runs concurrently
with Blue Devil Weekend and
encourages already-admitted
candidates to enroll at Fuqua
The Leadership Education and
Development (LEAD) Program
Introduces minority high school
students to opportunities in
business
The Minority Business
Consulting Program
MBA students offer consulting
services to minority business
owners
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