We appreciate your passion and care about the Kelley School. In this moment of focused attention on racial inequality, we have the opportunity as individuals and educators to recommit to make our university, school, programs, and our classrooms fair and just for all. We have a distinctive opportunity to shape curriculum and instruction in support of our ideal goals of democracy, diversity, inclusion, equity, equality, and social justice.
This is an important and pivotal moment. As Dean Kesner noted in a message to the Kelley community, Mr. Floyd’s tragic death has led to an understandable sense of fear, outrage, sadness, and discontent in addition to feelings of powerlessness. It is an all-too-familiar example of the injustices against the Black community in this nation—nicely summarized by the HBS note—and is an injustice that is grossly disproportionate in its impact on this community. It is an injustice so great that we are left wondering if, when, and how we can heal as a country.
Kyle met with the core faculty this morning. He is pleased to share with you that every member of the core has pledged to add cases or assignments where possible that deal with issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. There was also a good discussion of working toward a case that might be used across some or all of the disciplines.
We, along with the administration of the program and school, and the core faculty support the petition you have presented. We are happy to commit to:
- incorporate multiple cases/assignments in the Core that feature or focus on under-represented minorities and women. This will include required reading of the HBS note, “African American Inequality in the United States.”
- allocate two days of the Core to lead DEI discussions using qualified external instructors
- provide annual diversity and inclusion training for Kelley faculty and staff that deals with racism, implicit bias, and racial inequality using qualified and experienced person(s) of color.
In addition, we would like to share the following additional activities that will support diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at the Kelley School:
- Professors Kolovou and Cattani are working with current Kelley Consortium students to develop a diversity, equity, and inclusion case specifically for Me, Inc.
- The MBA Program administration and the Office of the Dean are working with the MBA Consortium leadership and Diversity Champions to explore additional diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives for the Kelley MBA Program.
- Dean Soni will meet regularly with the MBA Consortium leadership to facilitate these and other initiatives.
- The Kelley Direct Program will also incorporate cases that feature or focus on underrepresented minorities and women. This will include required reading of the HBS note, “African American Inequality in the United States.”
- Professor Cattani and Regina Funk, the Kelley Director of Diversity & Inclusion for the Graduate Programs, have been working on several diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives for the Kelley MBA Program.
We stand with our racially diverse students and alumni in solidarity and we are deeply committed to working together. All these initiatives will be developed and executed in collaboration with the current MBA Consortium and MBA student leadership. The MBA consortium leadership team has strong ideas and opinions and working with them provides an opportunity for them to assist Kelley while at the same time strengthening their own skills in areas such as leadership, teamwork, creative problem solving, communications, project management, and many other areas. Engaging the current students will ensure that we will create the curricular and co-curricular programming that will be meaningful and relevant for their experiences in the MBA Program. We ask a lot of them and we appreciate that they, in the long tradition of Kelley Consortium students, help make Kelley stronger.
Thank you for your continued engagement in our MBA program and the Kelley School.
Sincerely,
Idie Kesner, Dean, Kelley School of Business
Ash Soni, Executive Associative Dean for Academic Programs, Kelley School of Business
Kyle Cattani, MBA Program Chair, Kelley School of Business