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UNC-Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School dean back at White House to support women in business
Douglas Shackelford and UNC Kenan-Flagler are part of an initiative to improve opportunities for women in business.
(Chapel Hill, N.C.— Aug. 5, 2015) – Dean Douglas Shackelford of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School has returned to the White House as part of an initiative to improve opportunities for women in business.
Shackelford is attending a convening hosted by the White House Council on Women and Girls and the Council of Economic Advisers. The meeting brings together leaders from the business and business school communities to discuss recruiting, training and retaining leaders for the 21st century workplace and the importance of implementing policies that work for families.
Prior to the event, Shackelford committed UNC Kenan-Flagler to a set of best practices announced today and signed by more than 45 other business schools.
The best practices offer concrete strategies for business schools to help women succeed throughout school and their careers and focus on four key areas:
- Ensuring access to business schools and business careers
- Building a business school experience that prepares students for the workforce of tomorrow
- Ensuring career services go beyond the needs of traditional students
- Exemplifying how organizations should be run
The commitments aim to address changes in the U.S. labor market and the need of workers to manage their professional and family responsibilities.
“In addition to being the right thing to do, these best practices ensure that we continue to support the vital role of women in the workplace and their communities,” said Shackelford. “While you’ll already find many of these best practices at UNC Kenan-Flagler – where we’re known for developing leaders – we can do more. We’re eager to partner with the business community as it changes to offer more flexibility and better embrace diversity.”
Shackelford’s participation in today’s event builds on earlier meetings hosted by the administration in April 2014, which included a meeting of leading business school deans at the White House with senior administration officials. In that discussion, they described the challenges business schools face in expanding opportunities and adapting to the changing workforce, as well as successful strategies they have used to address these challenges.
“Today’s convening, along with the commitments by business schools and AACSB International are important steps in helping women succeed in business,” Shackelford said.
The best practices will be posted on the website of AACSB International (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), the global membership association for more than 1,450 business schools and the accrediting body for more than 700 institutions worldwide.
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About the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School
Consistently ranked one of the world’s best business schools, UNC Kenan-Flagler is known for its collaborative culture that stems from its core values: excellence, leadership, integrity, community and teamwork. Professors excel at both teaching and research, and demonstrate unparalleled dedication to students. Graduates are effective, principled leaders who have the technical and managerial skills to deliver results in the global business environment. UNC Kenan-Flagler offers a rich portfolio of programs and extraordinary, real-life learning experiences: Undergraduate Business (BSBA), full-time MBA, Executive MBA Programs (Evening, Weekend and global OneMBA®), online MBA@UNC, UNC-Tsinghua Dual-Degree EMBA, Master of Accounting, PhD, Executive Development, and UNC Business Essentials programs. It is home to the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise.
About the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the nation’s first public university, is a global higher education leader known for innovative teaching, research and public service. A member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, Carolina regularly ranks as the best value for academic quality in U.S. public higher education. Now in its third century, the University offers 78 bachelor’s, 112 master’s, 68 doctorate and seven professional degree programs through 14 schools and the College of Arts and Sciences. Every day, faculty, staff and students shape their teaching, research and public service to meet North Carolina’s most pressing needs in every region and all 100 counties. Carolina’s more than 304,000 alumni live in all 50 states and 150 countries. More than 159,000 live in North Carolina.
Kenan-Flagler contact: Allison Adams, (919) 962-7235, aadams@unc.edu
Communications and Public Affairs contact: MC VanGraafeiland, (919) 962-7090, mc.vangraafeiland@unc.edu