Imperial College Business School Recognized for Combatting Gender Inequality

Gender inequality in higher education is a common issue, which is why the Imperial College Business School has been working to support equality and diversity for staff and students. And recently, the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) recognized its efforts by awarding the school with a Bronze Athena SWAN award.

Imperial College is one of the first schools to receive the prize. The Athena Awards were initially focused on recognizing a commitment to advancing women’s careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects and only recently expanded to include gender equality in arts, humanities and business. The SWAN Award reveals the school’s commitment to creating gender balance while also improving career opportunities for female staff and students.

In a press release from the university, Acting Dean Nelson Phillips spoke about the equality efforts. “Gender equity is a key strategic goal for the business school and one that I have prioritized during my time as acting dean,” he said. “We only recently became eligible to apply for this award, and the fact that it has been attained so quickly is testament to the sterling work already being done to solidify our position as a champion of gender equity.”

The good news is that the SWAN award only celebrates the latest effort made by Imperial College to increase gender equality. The business school also recently began participating in the new Forté Foundation scholarships. These scholarships are awarded to outstanding female MBA candidates. In addition, Imperial also offers scholarships to women CEOs, helping them to join the ELITE program—a business education program that is partnered with the London Stock Exchange.

In the same release, Diane Morgan, associate dean of programs at Imperial, revealed her thoughts about gender inequality. “Gender inequality in business education is a global challenge that Imperial is committed to tackling,” she said. “This award builds on our recent successes in promoting women in business and business education, notably through our sponsorship of the Forté Foundation, becoming a member of the 30% Club and offering scholarships to outstanding female students.”

regions: London

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