Foster Difference Fund Increases Diversity

According to UW Today, the 2016 University of Washington fall class was the most diverse yet. The university welcomed 976 underrepresented students, a new record number. But that’s not the only place where the university is encouraging diversity. The Foster School of Business also promotes diversity, and thanks to the Foster Difference Fund, the school was recently able to launch a few new initiatives and partnerships to help them reach their goal of inclusiveness.

One of the major initiatives that the Foster Difference Fund made possible was membership in the Forté Foundation, a non-profit consortium of leading companies and top business schools aimed at promoting women in business. Fall 2016 was Foster’s first time as a member in the Foundation and for Jorie Kirschbaum, a first-year MBA student, it was a signal of good things to come. In a school press release, she said that Foster’s membership “signaled to me that Foster is truly committed to advancing women in leadership and developing a community that supports, motivates, and galvanizes MBA women.”

Their membership with Forté Foundation also means that students in the program can attend the Forté MBA Women’s Leadership Conference, which is an inspiring event for female MBAs around the country. For Jorie, “The Leadership Conference allowed me to enter my first year of business school with a heightened sense of purpose and commitment to my values and my career,” Jorie said.

In addition to the Forté membership, the Difference Fund also helped Foster join The Ph.D. Project, participate in the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) Minority Banquet and attend the UWAA MAP Bridging the Gap Breakfast. Each event and project was yet one more way to bring diversity to the Foster School. In particular, The Ph.D. Project is an organization committed to helping African Americans, Hispanics Americans and Native Americans become business professors.

To learn more about how the Foster Difference Fund is bringing diversity and inclusion to the University, please visit the website.

regions: Seattle

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