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Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
At Anderson, our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion is community-wide. With our Office of EDI serving as a catalyst and guide, each of us at Anderson owns this goal—and we will share in its success—together.
After the tragic events of last year, we have pursued a wide range of EDI initiatives with a renewed sense of purpose and urgency. Significant systemic change is underway. EDI is a key focus of the comprehensive new Strategic Plan now being developed for the school. More immediate changes have been prioritized as well, with students, faculty, staff and alumni taking new and creative steps to equitably and inclusively serve our diverse communities.
UCLA Anderson recognizes that a thriving diverse community provides the optimal climate for business education. Affirming values shared across the UCLA campus, we build this climate by offering equitable experiences to students, staff, and faculty of all backgrounds. We succeed when all Anderson community members are equally able to fulfill their potential as participants in the school.
One of UCLA Anderson’s six strategic priorities is to become more diverse and inclusive across Anderson’s faculty, staff, students and ideas. Currently, our community-wide Strategic Planning Committee is developing a 3–5 year plan that will advance this goal through specific and prioritized activities. This effort is designed to ensure that EDI is structurally supported throughout the school. With senior leadership energizing the all-Anderson effort, we see our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion as fundamental to achieving Anderson’s mission.
The words equity, diversity and inclusion often mean different things to different people, depending on context and audience. At Anderson, when we refer to equity, diversity and inclusion, we are not simply referring to principles, but describing specific commitments to how we interact with each other in our community:
Community members receive appropriate support to ensure equal access to all privileges, assured of procedural fairness across protected identity groups. We account for historical inequities.
Community members expose one another to the fullest possible variety of human identities, experiences, values, and worldviews. We openly engage our differences.
Community members engage one another as full participants in school activities, communicating mutual respect, consideration, and appreciation.
Student Advisory Council
Kushal Chatterjee • Alex Wolfson • Luiz Sander • Jose Clair • Sofia Jimenez • Analisa Schaaf • Malachi Nelson • Bowen Wang • Andrea Maciel • Jordan Ferguson • Gus Avarello • Gio Lincon • Andrew Hemingway • Faud Ligali • Emily Mann • Akshita Saxena • Layla Kara • Jake Schapiro • Scarlett Kirk • Darren Douglas • Nanci Li • Ayesha Huq • Zachary Starko • Kevin Kuhn • Ana Mekhrishvili • Veikko Petrozzi • Julia Sweitzer • Erica Weisman • Sohini Hathiramani • Alexandre Caron • Chai Lam • Dheeraj Jalluri • Isabella Mongalo • Mariana Hernandez De Vicenzo • Akshay Prakash • Haibo (Harry) Kong • Yannan Collins • Samuel Song • Albert Joo • Fernando Errazuriz • Gabriella Pesce Eliezer • Josh Smiley • Cliodhna Loughlin • Gabriella Pesce Eliezer • Ibrahim Ibrahim • Deepu Nadimpalli • Miranda Bidwell • Calvin Cam • Margaux Nielsen • Emily Yang • Zachary Marcoux • Joe Benoit • Justin Cheng • Chayanin Hankansujart • Sorrasek Phiboonthammasak • Hind Geel • Stephen Mendoza • Michael Kirchner • Keini Wilson • Trisha Sinha • Stephen Mendoza • Yitsac Sandoval • Avital Harari • Allie Roda
Administrative Representatives
Jessica Luchenta • Jeanette Reyes • Matt Gorlick • Viji Thulsiraj • Shannon Bell • Sydney Wharton • Frinee Berrios • Carol Wang • Riana Olson • Craig Jessen
Identity Clubs
Alumni Clubs
A dialogue series that provides a platform for open, honest and meaningful conversation on social justice. During its inaugural year, the roughly monthly series is exploring the nature and impact of the Black experience in our global society.
UCLA Anderson’s Embracing Diversity Week (EDW) celebrates the strength of our diverse community and power of our connections to reshape our future.
Velocity 2021 is a celebration of the power and impact of women, bringing together current and future leaders of all backgrounds to explore ideas for a more equitable future in business and society.
In its pilot year in 2021, the Pathway Guidance Program launched to support greater awareness of and preparation for graduate management education among members of underrepresented identity groups.
The trailhead is a destination where a large new pool of people in underrepresented groups can be referred to UCLA Anderson for guidance on admission criteria. It expands recruitment at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions by inviting hundreds of new contacts to steer underrepresented students to UCLA Anderson for early access to admission guidance.
UCLA Anderson’s Riordan Programs help underrepresented group members in high school, college and early phases of their professional lives learn about and prepare for success in graduate management education and related careers. Short- and long-term programs include mentorship, application advising and exposure to a basic management curriculum.
Partnering with organizations dedicated to supporting greater diversity in management and leadership helps expand the pipeline for members of underrepresented groups seeking graduate education:
UCLA Anderson faculty, alumni and MBA students teach and mentor students in the Upkey Virtual Internship Program, a “student incubator” focused on preparing young adults — a large majority of whom are underrepresented — to secure internships, jobs and graduate education, all promoting a discrimination-free business landscape.
UCLA Anderson’s Fink Center for Finance launched its first launched its first year of hosting a summer program with Girls Who Invest, an organization aiming to see women manage 30% of the world’s investable capital by 2030. In 2020, 60 college sophomores participated.
UCLA Anderson’s Center for Management of Enterprise in Media, Entertainment & Sports (MEMES) seeks to expand its Summer Institutes partnership with HBCU Howard University to increase diversity in the sports, media and entertainment career pipeline.
UCLA Anderson’s student-led Admissions Ambassador Corps manages class visits, campus tours, admission interviews and events for prospective students. AAC has incorporated the Nobel Prize-winning science of choice architecture to ensure greater equity and inclusion in admissions processes.
Alumni of all UCLA undergraduate and graduate degree programs are invited to apply to the UCLA Anderson School of Management’s Fully Employed MBA through the UCLA FEMBA Bruin Bridge. Alumni who meet specific criteria are offered an exclusive opportunity to opt out of the GMAT/GRE/Executive Assessment exam requirement.
If an alum qualifies under the criteria listed below, UCLA Anderson FEMBA will not require a exam score to apply.
Engaging faculty, centers and students with new speaker databases and event planning resources will broaden the diversity of speakers. Recent examples of new inclusive events addressing management, operations, technology and social impact include:
The Venture Accelerator at UCLA Anderson supports diversity through their participating founders, and partnering with venture capital funds and accelerators focused on diverse founders. The Accelerator works to elevate the Anderson footprint in the LA ecosystem supporting diversity through their numerous outreach efforts. An example of this from Accelerator leadership was their participation in a panel during the LA Business Journal Women's Week and their authorship of an advertorial for the LA Business Journal. Interestingly, the Accelerator team also created five podcasts focused on Anderson entrepreneurship featuring a diverse set of guest interviewees that are live on the website
An active Student EDI Advisory Council is growing, with representation across Anderson identity clubs, professional clubs, interest clubs and degree programs.
UCLA Anderson’s Price and Ziman centers provide education resources to community-based organizations that serve low-income populations: