Creating more Black representation in business

***Update: All gifts to the HBCU MBA Fellowship will be matched 2:1 by our generous donors Monica Stevens and Mike and Kelly Smith!***

The benefits of earning an MBA from a top-ranked business school are profound—it allows students to future-ready their careers, explore new industries or functions, accelerate their career path, and expand and diversify their networks. Yet fewer and fewer students from underrepresented racial groups are applying to MBA programs around the country.  This year, less than 10% of students in the Berkeley Haas Full-time MBA Program identified as Black or African American.

As a public institution, Berkeley Haas has an obligation to work against systemic racism and build more justice into our society. And as business leaders, we believe that more representation in business by Black MBA graduates will change the world by strengthening our business cases and decisions. New discoveries won't be found on the same well-worn paths—we need new ideas, perspectives and approaches.

This year, the Haas School of Business established a first-of-its-kind endowment that will provide tuition support to MBA students with a degree from a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).  

The HBCU MBA Fellowship was established by members of the DEIB Committee of the Haas School Board. The Board and Dean Harrison consider this initiative of great strategic importance as it will not only increase diversity at Haas right now, but create a pipeline of Black and African-American applicants for decades to come. Our generous donors, Monica Stevens and Mike and Kelly Smith, have agreed to match all gifts to this campaign 2:1. 

The transformative opportunity of attending Haas should be an accessible, compelling choice for students from all backgrounds. We ask you to support our goal of increasing representation for Black students at Haas and creating a pipeline for more equitable representation in business.