Dean Triantis Speaks at Forte Foundation Event

Alex Triantis, dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, was a featured panelist on the Forté Foundation’s Allies and Advocates: Game-Changers Who are Moving the Needle on Gender Parity on Nov. 19, 2015, at the New York Life offices in New York City. The panel, part of the Women Lead Speaker Series provided insight from academia, policy and industry focused on gender parity, inclusion and obstacles in the workplace. 

“As business schools, there is a supply of great talent, we have to be sure that we are building a strong pipeline and then developing those future leaders.” Triantis described the approach the Smith School is taking to not only reach our goal of 50/50 (MBA enrollment of women) by 2020 – but also how to be a model for engaging candidates and business schools. Triantis noted Smith’s four Ps for addressing the goal and increasing the role of women in the school: pipeline, programming, placement, and paradigm.

Pipeline: A strong pipeline starts early engagement and dialogue

• Partnership with diverse organizations including the Forté Foundation
• Engaging undergraduate women from all majors to explore the breadth of the MBA program
• Creating opportunities for high school students and offering summer programs to start the pipeline even earlier than early career and collegiate students

Programming: Offer diverse and increased programming that is beneficial for all future leaders

• Focus on more diverse and women executives and leaders as guest speakers like PepsiCo’s Indra Nooyri
• Bringing more diverse leaders into the classroom
• Foster discussion in the classroom from both men and women

Placement: Full engagement of the career exploration, preparation and placement process

• Coaching - training and preparation for strong interviews and transition
• Career path – looking at steps for career transition, and identifying organizations looking to diversity their workforce and the underlying values and missions of organizations
• Alumni engagement – assuring that all students are in touch with men and women alumni leaders

Paradigm: The willingness to assess environmental conditions and addressing concerns.

• Schools should be role models for this behavior, assuring leadership at all organizational levels 
• Increasing faculty roles – both hiring and tenure attainment

The event, hosted by New York Life including remarks from Elissa Sangster, executive director at Forté Foundation, Peter Grauer, chairman at Bloomberg LP, and panel moderator Carol Hymowitz, editor-at-large at Bloomberg, LP. In addition to Dean Triantis, the panel included:  

• Michael Garland, assistant comptroller for corporate governance and responsible investment, Office of NYC Comptroller Scott M. Stringer
• Antoinette (Tonie) Leatherberry, principal, Deloitte Consulting, LLP
• George Nichols III, senior vice president, New York Life Insurance Company

Triantis mentioned there are areas that Smith, like other business schools, continue to struggle: faculty recruiting and exploration of work/life balance for faculty, staff and student-candidates (especially for the executive, online and part-time programs). And, in balance – Smith has resources for students. For example, Smith has the most Bloomberg monitors of any academic institution in the world, a holistic curriculum and career center, and two advisory councils focused on initiatives and programming for women – one comprised of faculty, staff and students; the other comprised of alumnae.

The Smith School became a Forté Foundation Sponsor School in 2014. Partnership with the Forté Foundation allows increased access for MBA recruitment, professional and career resources for MBA students and the Smith School, and opportunities for University of Maryland undergraduate women. 

For more information on resources for women at Smith visit: http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/women

- Kecia Hansard, MBA & MS Admissions