No one in Beatrice Cortes’ family has ever completed graduate school. So when the California native and Mexican descendent graduates from the Marriott School next year with her MBA, she will be making history. But passing that milestone was only a dream until she received an Extended Reach scholarship. “The scholarship got me into grad school sooner than I could have done on my own,” she says. “I am fortunate to have it and am very appreciative.”
As the Marriott School attracts a more diverse student body, those low on funds, like Cortes, are quickly pioneering their own future. That’s mainly due to Extended Reach scholarships—financed by private donors and companies such as Ford, Honeywell, Hollywood Entertainment, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Union Pacific—offered to minority students who demonstrate high academic performance and financial need.
Since launching the diversity initiative in 2002, the Marriott School has made great strides in increasing the number of women and ethnic minorities across its graduate programs. In this year’s MBA class, women account for 21 percent of students (up from 14 percent last year) and underrepresented minorities account for 7 percent (up from 5 percent last year). Progress is also evident in the MPA program, where underrepresented minorities participation grew from 9 percent to 11 percent in the last year.
The initiative focuses on two main strategies—creating a supportive internal climate and recruiting diverse students and faculty. By achieving these goals, the school aims to better reflect the growing diversity of Church membership and also to prepare its students for the business world.
“The better equipped we are coming out of the Marriott School to deal with diversity, the more we will add value to the companies we go to,” says Thomas Chock, a recent MBA graduate from Hawaii.
To that end, the Marriott School recently produced 88 Words: Stories of Diversity, a six-minute DVD highlighting five minority graduate students in their own words. Says MPA student Maria Pedroza in her segment—“I came from Mexico as a seven-year old who spoke no English, and as a child I heard mentors talk of opportunity. So I grew up studying this country in books and then sought learning across the nation.”
As part of the school’s recruiting effort, administrators are developing a pipeline of minority students. Outreach activities have included an annual diversity open house, meetings with leaders of minority organizations, and relationships with multicultural centers at other campuses. The school has also relied on Management Society members to recruit and refer candidates.
The school also has a diversity committee, which promotes dialogue about diversity through faculty retreats and student orientations. In addition, the group is developing a web-based toolkit that will give faculty access to cases, articles, discussion topics, and best practices.
While the Marriott School is making considerable progress, directors continue working toward a loftier goal. “Diversity should not be measured by representation—counting heads—alone,” says Grant McQueen, a professor and diversity committee member. “Representation needs to be combined with inclusion and education.” As for Cortes, who expects to graduate next April, the initiative is showing its fruits one dream at a time.
To receive a copy of 88 Words, a DVD highlighting diversity at BYU’s Marriott School, please call (801) 422-7696.
