Female enrollment lags in MBA programs across the United States, but the Smith School has pledged to close the gap in all of its graduate programs within five years.
Smith senior leaders announced the “50/50 by 2020 Pledge” on March 5, 2015, during the school’s fourth annual Women Leading Women forum prior to International Women’s Day. The 2020 target will coincide with the 100-year anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which guarantees U.S. women the right to vote.
“Many business schools talk about their commitment to women,” Smith Dean Alex Triantis says. “At Smith we will do what it takes to deliver results.”
Women earn a majority of college degrees at all levels in the United States, but the trend does not extend to business schools. Most graduate business programs reported 30 percent to 40 percent female enrollment in 2014.
Smith’s efforts to close the gender enrollment gap include a partnership with the Forté Foundation, a nonprofit consortium that supports women in their business careers.
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About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master’s, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.