The National Case Competition attracts students and corporate partners for a weekend of networking, learning and a case competition that awards more than $20,000 to winning teams.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – In recognition of its efforts to promote inclusion and provide career opportunities for underrepresented students, the Indiana University Bloomington Kelley School of Business has received the 2024 Inspiring Programs in Business Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine, the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education.
The Inspiring Programs in Business Award honors colleges and universities that encourage and assist students from underrepresented groups to enter the field of business. The Kelley School will be featured, along with 27 other award recipients, in the magazine’s April 2024 issue.
Insight Into Diversity magazine is known for its annual Insight Into Diversity Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, the only award that recognizes colleges and universities for outstanding diversity and inclusion efforts across their campuses.
IU Bloomington and IU Indianapolis have received the HEED Award several times, including in 2023.
Inspiring Programs in Business Award winners were selected based on efforts to inspire and encourage a new generation of young people to consider careers in business through mentoring, teaching, research, and successful programs and initiatives.
Award spotlights the National Diversity Case Competition
Specifically, the Kelley School was honored for its efforts to establish and present the National Diversity Case Competition, which annually attracts some of the best and most diverse talent in undergraduate education from more than 30 colleges and universities nationwide to IU Bloomington each January.
“At the Kelley School, we are constantly striving for greater diversity, equity, and inclusion in business, which also is highly valued by the companies who hire our students and who invest in our programs,” said Ash Soni, the school’s dean and The Sungkyunkwan Professor. “Over the years, we’ve helped create groundbreaking initiatives and innovative programing designed to fulfill that mission.
“This recognition for the National Diversity Case Competition is nearly as important as the appreciation we hear from students at Kelley and from around the country who say they benefited from our efforts to contribute to a broader understanding of diverse cultures and experiences in the global business world,” Soni added.
Many participants leave with contacts that lead to internships and full-time offers.
Held annually the weekend before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the National Case Competition also attracts corporate partners from top companies and alumni for a weekend of networking, learning and a case competition that awards more than $20,000 to winning teams. It was started 13 years ago as the brainchild of a student organization, the Undergraduate Business Diversity Council, which remains involved today.
Through the event, the school engages corporate partners who are passionate about diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging solutions, who provide a case that addresses an issue they or their industry are facing. Partners have included EY, 3M, AbbVie, Target Corp., Procter & Gamble and Cummins.
Many participants leave with contacts that lead to internships and full-time offers. Nearly two-thirds of business schools return each year and new ones, including those at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, are invited to send students to compete.
This year, the Kelley School created an NDCC advisor network to continue closely working with participating schools throughout the year, and not just during the competition.
The National Diversity Case Competition is just one of many initiatives at the Kelley School in Bloomington and Indianapolis, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The Kelley School is home to more than 30 student organizations that contribute to building an inclusive community.
Kelley also was one of three schools that co-founded the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, a national organization that enhances diversity in business education through merit-based support and mentoring for African American, Hispanic and Native American students.
Award winners will be featured in the April 2024 Business School issue of Insight Into Diversity magazine.
“We know that many business programs are not always recognized for their success, dedication, and mentorship for underrepresented students,” says Lenore Pearlstein, owner and publisher of Insight Into Diversity magazine. “We want to honor the schools and organizations that have created programs that inspire and encourage young people who may currently be in or are interested in a future career in business. We are proud to honor these programs as role models to other institutions of higher education and beyond.”