Syracuse’s Whitman School partners with National Black MBA Association

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University on Monday announced a new partnership with the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) as part of the first installment of the NBMBAA collegiate-partnership program.

The program aims to “increase awareness and facilitate access” to graduate and business-education programs in professional fields across the country, the Whitman School said in a news release.

Launched in the early 1970s, the Atlanta, Georgia–based NBMBAA seeks to help African Americans coming into the corporate sector, “largely for the first time, share experiences and insights to help make their careers and career paths easier,” as described in the Whitman release.

The partnership includes several elements, Alex McKelvie, associate dean for undergraduate and full-time master’s programs for the Whitman School, said.

The Whitman School has committed to awarding at least two merit-based scholarships to NBMBAA member students. It also “must ensure” that at least 25 students are NBMBAA members.

In addition, the Whitman School will hold an NBMBAA event on campus every academic year. It will also send a case-competition team to the annual National Black MBA conference and exposition.

Whitman hopes the partnership will help “increase the diversity of the Whitman School community.”

“We need to build and grow our ability to attract, recruit and yield fantastic students,” said McKelvie. “Having a diverse classroom enriches the conversation and allows people to challenge their perspectives and think about things in new ways. Diversity in thinking and backgrounds is one of the most important factors for innovation and peak performance. Whitman graduates will need to master working together in a world of accelerating change.”

In addition to the new partnership with NBMBAA, the Whitman School also has a local chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA), a professional organization of minority accountants that is open to all students, the school said.

“Many people are unaware that NABA welcomes members of all races, but that is key to the organization’s ability to bring business students together in a positive, learning and networking environment,” Kofi Appiah Okyere, a professor and NABA faculty advisor, said. “Together, all members seek to ‘lift as we climb,’ helping each other become successful business people.”

The Whitman School also notes that it “embraces” its international student population, “many of whom are also of color, celebrating their heritage, culture and more at annual events.”

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com