White House calls on business schools to expand initiatives for women

​Washington University’s Olin Business School commits to best practices

​On Aug. 5, Mahendra R. Gupta, PhD, dean and the Geraldine J. and Robert L. Virgil Professor of Accounting and Management at the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, attended a convening at the White House hosted by the White House Council on Women and Girls and the Council of Economic Advisers.

Mark Brostoff, associate dean and director of Olin’s Weston Career Center, also attended.

More than 40 business schools convened with industry leaders to discuss recruiting, training and retaining leaders for the 21st century workplace and the importance of implementing policies that work for families. The meeting considered a proposed set of best practices for business schools to lead in expanding opportunities for women in business and adapt to the changing workforce. The document was drafted after a meeting in April 2014 of senior administration official and business school deans.

Mark Brostoff (left), associate dean and director of Olin Business School’s Weston Career Center, and Mahendra Gupta, dean of Olin Business School, participated in a White House meeting about expanding opportunities for women in business. (Credit: Courtesy photo)

Olin announced its commitment to the four key areas set out in the best practices for business schools to expand opportunities for women:

  • Ensuring access to business schools and business careers for women.
  • Building a business school experience that prepares women for the workforce of tomorrow.
  • Ensuring career services that go beyond the needs of traditional students.
  • Exemplifying how organizations should be run as equitable workplaces.

“Olin Business School welcomes this opportunity to publicly renew our commitment to continue to provide and expand the educational experience for our women students in undergraduate and graduate programs that prepares them to be leaders in the workforce of tomorrow,” Gupta said.

Read more about Olin’s programs to expand opportunities for women in business school and their careers at olinblog.wustl.edu​.