DEI Digest

Celebration of Black Alumni Achievement

The Celebration of Black Alumni Achievement honored Professor William D. Bradford, Ph.D. with the Spratlen Legacy Award and Skyler Brown (MBA 2019) with the Emerging Leader Award in a joyous ceremony. The annual event, now in its 21st year, serves to honor leaders within the community and raise funds to support the Association of Black Business Students (ABBS) Scholarship and the African American Heritage Endowed MBA Fellowship. Read the recap.

Foster #2 in the nation for percentage of 1st generation undergrads

Business school news and rankings site Poets&Quants released an analysis of undergraduate business school diversity metrics, and Foster ranked #2 in the nation in terms of the percentage of first generation students at 55%, up five percent from last year. Foster also ranked #10 nationwide for percent of female students. Read the story.

Welcome new mental health liaison Emma Buchanan

Emma is the new Mental Health Liaison to the Foster School where she will work with students, faculty, and staff to develop proactive programming to highlight wellness and mental health in our classrooms and community and will curate and share mental health resources. Emma is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in Washington State and has worked the past 5 years providing short-term therapy and case management in Seattle area hospitals.

Emma will also hold weekly Let’s Talk sessions. Let’s Talk is a program that provides drop in informal consultations without an appointment. Emma’s Let’s Talk sessions will begin on January 17 and be held weekly at the following times:

• Wednesdays, in person, from 12:30-1:30 in Founders 111
• Thursdays, via Zoom, from 4-6 pm at this Zoom Link

If you’d like to connect with Emma, you can reach her by attending a Let’s Talk session or by emailing her at [email protected].

Foster takes 2nd in National Diversity Case Competition

Congratulations to the Foster School of Business Undergraduate Program for winning second place at this year’s National Diversity Case Competition on January 13. The competition, hosted by the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, and sponsored by Abbvie Pharmaceuticals, brought thirty teams from across the country together to tackle the question of how to destigmatize clinical trials and increase the participation of underrepresented groups. In addition to senior Gabriel Navarro, the team consisted of Krisanta Bolante, sophomore, and two freshmen, Benji Ortiz and Mick Gerber. The detail and hard work put forth by the team was noticed by many. Unsolicited comments from judges included “that was AWESOME” and “Those guys are only freshmen?” Foster is a proud participant in this annual case competition and looks forward to bringing home many more trophies to come.

Fostering Community Thursday brings community together

The Fostering Community Thursday Black History Month Kick-Off Event provided the community with an opportunity come together to honor our histories, share our experiences, and support + amplify one another. The candid conversations, the laughter, and the shared moments underscored the essence of what FCT is all about — belonging and building a stronger, more inclusive community for graduate students of color + allies at Foster and UW Law. Special appreciation goes to esteemed guest speakers, Rodney Hines of Métier Brewing Company and Akua Asare-Konadu of Perkins Coie.

Summer Funding Awards for Faculty

The Consulting and Business Development Center is providing summer funding awards ($10,000/year for three years) to Foster faculty members who are currently or plan to conduct a research project that has the potential to create new knowledge about BIPOC and under-represented owned businesses and their communities within the United States. There are three separate awards possible, which means that up to three faculty members could receive $10,000/year for three years in summer funding. All Foster faculty are eligible to apply for the awards. Faculty will be invited to submit their interest by March 29, 2024, by completing this survey. Please direct any questions to Elizabeth Umphress.

Muslim Student RSO brings prayer room to Founders Hall

Foster students needing a quiet place to pray, meditate or reflect have a new resource available in Founders Hall thanks to a campaign by Foster students active in the UW Muslim Students Association.

While the room is available to students of any denomination, it is primarily used by the school’s Muslim community. Islamic students’ faith requires them to pray five times a day. For Muslim students juggling a demanding course schedule, having a conveniently located place to pray is an imperative. Learn more about this resource.