Black lives matter

Dean Doug Shackelford (BSBA ’80) sent this message to the UNC Kenan-Flagler community about eliminating racial bias and promoting inclusion at the Business School.

Dear UNC Kenan-Flagler Students, Faculty and Staff,

I truly appreciate your calls for changes that will finally and systematically eliminate racial bias and promote inclusion at Kenan-Flagler.

Sometimes bad produces good, and I hope that George Floyd’s death is a tipping point for our country to finally address racial injustice. All of my life I have been dreaming this would happen. I am deeply passionate about this. It’s a moral issue for me.

I am determined it will be a tipping point for Kenan-Flagler.

Systematic racism, inequity, and unfairness against Black people and other underrepresented minorities is both wrong and bad business. UNC Kenan-Flagler must help our students develop the essential leadership skills around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) required for success in their careers and in their lives. And, just as importantly, we have a responsibility to be an organization that models the behaviors we call for in others

Since George Floyd’s murder, I have talked with a host of people: Board of Governors members, the Chancellor, Provost, fellow deans, students, faculty, staff, alumni, a town hall led by our full-time MBA students, and another town hall led by our Undergraduate Business students, among others. Faculty, staff leaders, and students have conferred with me and program leaders to identify concrete changes that we will implement – please see below. Enacting change is a top priority for all of us.

We can stop racial injustice at our school. I can’t think of a greater legacy we can leave to the next generation of professors, staff and students.

With respect and commitment,

Doug

Inclusive Education 

• Require education for faculty and staff to be better leaders and role models in the classroom and in other spaces. Last year, we designed and led “Difficult Conversations” workshops and over 90 faculty and staff attended. This year, we will design and deliver a required workshop on how to create inclusive, equitable classrooms and other spaces.
• Require a core full-time MBA course devoted to inclusive leadership (deployed this year, 2020-21)
• Add DEI content to core Undergraduate Business Program classes
• Continue offering required Leadership Immersion with significant D&I content in the Master of Accounting Program
• Track inclusion and equity on course evaluations. Programs across UNC have started to do this, and we will, too.
• Report diversity and representativeness of course content. Programs will track and share information on the inclusiveness of course material, such as cases.

Inclusive Environment

• Add inclusion as a new core value.
• Better showcase inclusion in McColl entrance lobby.
• Develop an ombuds’ process for DEI that goes anonymously to Sherry Wallace; report statistics annually
• Revamp full-time MBA legacy groups so they are welcoming to our diverse community
• Recommend the Board of Advisors add a DEI Committee

Faculty Representation

• Area chairs will create a plan by Sept. 1 to identify how we will increase inclusivity in hiring.

Enrollment

• Determine and publish goals for representation by Sept. 1
• Create a plan for reaching published goals by Sept. 1 that includes expanding our student recruiting relationships to new sources

Communication Strategy

• Create and implement a clear, consistent communication plan that ensures you hear from us regularly and programs better communicate with each other