Undergraduate Diverse Student Clubs
The Blank School engages Babson community members and leads research to create entrepreneurial leaders.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Advancing DEI throughout the Babson community is a critical objective and the College has seen promising impact.
We know this work is continuous, but through community collaboration we hope to continue to learn and improve in meaningful ways that will benefit communities everywhere.
January 30, 2023
Dear Babson Community,
The recent violent events have left many of us horrified and understandably outraged. Like so many of you, we grieve for the senseless killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, and we mourn alongside the families and loved ones of those lost in the latest series of senseless acts of violence targeting Asian American and LGBTQ+ populations.
Our country continues to grapple with traumatic crimes of bias, hate, and violence experienced by people of all identities.
We write these periodic messages to the community to acknowledge what the world around us is experiencing, and to reaffirm our intent to make a difference in communities everywhere and be the change our country, and the world, desperately needs.
Our determination grows to be even more vigilant in fostering an inclusive community, sense of belonging, and safe space that we expect at Babson College. We stand with and are grateful for Chief Erin Carcia and the Babson Public Safety team as the incident in Memphis and others continue to have a global impact on the perception of and trust in all public safety departments. Babson College Public Safety is firmly committed to our values and promotes the continued care and safety of all members of the Babson community.
As we struggle to live through recent events and ask ourselves how to move forward, I encourage you not to do this alone. Connect, show up, listen to understand, approach others with empathy, and channel your frustration into cultivating systemic change.
February brings Black History Month when we celebrate and acknowledge the contribution of Black people locally and nationally. This month, in particular, we are reminded that human dignity and equality are values that should be afforded to everyone.
On Wednesday evening, February 1, 2023, we will honor the memory of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with our annual MLK Legacy Day event. Dr. King would have urged us to continue the fight for justice and equality for all. If you are unable to attend the event, please join us in a collective moment of silence acknowledging these tragedies any time on February 1 between 5–7 p.m. See the initial list of opportunities to come together as a community (download the 2023 Black History Month (pdf)) for the entire month of February.
Please join me in recommitting to these ideals, and aspiring to end systemic racism, anti-Semitism, islamophobia, Asian hate, xenophobia, homophobia, sexism, among other groups, as well as social injustice everywhere. In the spirit of all who fight for a better day, we must believe that together, we have the power to determine what happens next in our own lives, on this campus, and in the world.
Best,
Sadie Burton-Goss Ph.D.
Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer
We also know that belonging is an important aspect of any DEI initiative and goal, and we are proud of the spaces Babson has helped create for its students and staff with the following:
21
10
Graduate Diverse Student Clubs
12
Employee Resource Groups
2022 Student Body
Undergraduate Women: 42%
Graduate Women: 42%
2022 International Students
37% increase in enrolled international students, representing 84 countries.
$9 Million Invested in FY22
Money applied to student scholarships, and to recruit and retain students who contribute to diversity within the community. Our first-year class included 32% underrepresented minority students, the largest in Babson history.
Making Progress Through Dialogue
To help facilitate important conversations, Babson has implemented DEI training for faculty, staff, and students. Who completed training? (as of June 2022)
» 98% of Employees
» 97% of New Undergraduates
» 89% of New Graduate Students
Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Goals
Three pillars—culture, curriculum, and community—guide Babson’s diversity and inclusion strategy and represent the three major areas of focus for our efforts.
Culture
The attitudes and intellectual manifestations of our students, staff, faculty, and alumni.
- Create, foster, and preserve an inclusive and welcoming cultural climate for all
- Create an organizational structure to support our diversity and inclusion goals
Curriculum
The subject matter we are teaching in the classroom.
- Ensure that faculty development, classroom experience curriculum, and co-curriculum support our mission and strategic diversity and inclusion goals
- Foster, promote, and support diversity and inclusion related resources and research advancing our mission
Community
The Babson fellowship of people from students to members of partner organizations
- Attract, recruit, develop, and retain a diverse student body
- Attract, recruit, develop, and retain diverse faculty, staff, and administrators
- Engage and support external partners in diversity-related initiatives advancing our mission
- Communicate, promote, and celebrate efforts, events, initiatives, and individuals advancing diversity and inclusion of all kinds for Babson College and the Babson community worldwide
2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Day Event
Wednesday, February 1, 2023 – 5–7 p.m. ET
Keynote Speaker: LaTosha Brown
The Martin Luther King Legacy Day Committee is thrilled to announce that our keynote speaker will be voting rights activist, advocate, and visionary leader LaTosha Brown.
LaTosha is a contributor to The New York Times op-ed page and a Senior Practice Fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. As co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund organization, LaTosha is dedicated to increasing the political power of Black people.
In-person at the Sorenson Center for the Arts
2023 Black History Month
For Black History month, Babson is committed to providing a number of different events to recognize this important month. Download the PDF to learn more and please contact DEI@babson.edu if you have any questions.
Babson Alumni Focused on DEI
Babson focuses its teaching approach on entrepreneurial leadership, and those lessons can have an impact well beyond the classroom when it comes to DEI. Below are only a few of the many examples from Babson alumni.
Aaron Walton ’83
Founder & CEO, Walton Isaacson
“We believe innovation is driven by diversity—blending people, skills and passions from diverse backgrounds for greater creativity and better business results.”
Jeffery Perry ’87, P’23
Chair, Babson Board of Trustees
Jeffery Perry ’87, P’23 was elected chair of the Babson Board of Trustees, and is the board’s first Black chair. Perry is a strong believer in early-access programs and hopes to help the College create more opportunities for students that they might not otherwise have.
Tim Ryan ’88
U.S. Chairman and Senior Partner, PwC
“Not many accountants moonlight as activists. But Tim Ryan, the senior partner at PwC, has spent the past five years trying to make his company a model inclusive workplace, and advocating for more diversity in the rest of corporate America.”
Yulkendy Valdez ’17
Business Owner/DEI Consultant
Lauren Von Stackelberg ’17
Deep history with some great brands, including current role at LEGO Group as Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council
The re-imagined DEI Council is an inspiring team of campus leaders for student, staff, faculty, and alumni DEIB initiatives. On any given day, there is something life-changing going on led by these dedicated Babson professionals.
People of Babson: Lawrence P. Ward
The Vice President for Learner Success and Dean of Campus Life reflects on the trying times caused by the pandemic and social injustice.
Planting the Seeds for Financial Empowerment
Through her nonprofit, Seeds of Fortune, Nitiya Walker ’14 seeks to empower young women of color through financial knowledge.
Taking Action on Diversity and Inclusion
An entrepreneur at heart, PwC’s Tim Ryan ’88 continues to lead change on diversity and inclusion at his company and across the country.