UNC Greensboro’s Bryan School of Business and Economics 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 Bryan School will be featured, along with 27 other recipients, in the April 2024 issue of Insight Into Diversity magazine.
Inspiring Programs in Business Award winners were selected by Insight Into Diversity 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.
“For years, the Bryan School has been dedicated to nurturing an all-encompassing academic unit, fostering an environment in which students, faculty, and staff not only coexist but truly thrive,” said Dr. Channelle James, who serves both as the School’s first-ever Dean’s Fellow for School Climate as well as a lecturer in the Department of Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Hospitality & Tourism. “This award is not just an honor but a reaffirmation of our commitment to uphold the Bryan School’s core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Through the encouragement of Dean McRae C. Banks, the School formalized its Bryan School Climate Initiative in 2022. The initiative focuses on celebrating diversity frequently, cultivating connection and lifelong learning opportunities, fostering societal impact, faculty and staff programming, and diverse recruitment opportunities. In the application for the Inspiring Programs in Business Award, James also noted the School’s continuous effort to be a University of North Carolina System leader not only in the enrollment of, but support and – importantly – graduation of Black or African American and Hispanic or Latino undergraduate business students.
“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.”
