Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Fund

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Fund was established to promote a truly inclusive campus culture that supports Black/African American and other historically underrepresented students, faculty and staff within Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business. The fund aims to strengthen a specific college-wide strategic priority to “advance LeBow’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) culture by promoting and sustaining a vibrant and inclusive environment.”

The goal of the DEI Fund is to foster inclusive excellence, help eliminate barriers and create a thriving learning and work environment for all students, faculty and staff.

Fund Major Components

The DEI Fund includes the following major components with the goal of sustaining LeBow’s efforts to advance access and equity, recruit and retain a diverse student body and workforce, and support an inclusive campus culture. These major components include:

Supporting Current and Prospective Students

Through annual scholarship awards, the DEI Fund will provide financial support for education-related expenses to talented and deserving underrepresented students at LeBow. These students demonstrate a commitment to social justice, academics and engagement with the LeBow community through the LeBow BRIDGE program or other service program. Funding for current students will also provide resources to attend conferences, case competitions or other professional development programs that promote DEI.

This fund will also provide scholarships to prospective high school students from the Philadelphia region who want to participate in LeBow’s enriching Camp Business summer program designed to “give rising high school juniors and seniors an intensive introduction to both collegiate and corporate business education.” It will also be used to finance other recruitment efforts, such as partnerships with DEI-related organizations, to ensure historically underrepresented students see LeBow as a possibility and a place where they can succeed.

Supporting College Initiatives

The DEI Fund will enhance the campus experience by providing funds for efforts led by students, faculty, staff and departments to develop impactful programs. These include, but are not limited to, programmatic events and collaborative research-related endeavors that aim to address social justice and/or issues of inequity in business and society, cultural celebrations and civic engagement opportunities.

The DEI Fund will be used to support the recruitment and retention of diverse faculty and staff. It will also provide funding for faculty in developing inclusive academic programs and assist with building an area of research dedicated to DEI issues within business.

Funding Requests

Gifts made to the LeBow College of Business’ DEI Fund will be used where it is most needed within the listed focus areas and will be managed by a review committee comprising the Dean, faculty and staff from the LeBow BRIDGE program and members of the DEI Action Group. Requests for funding will be accepted on a rolling basis or until funds are exhausted.

If you are a student or a faculty or staff member seeking funds for professional development programs or conferences, or if you would like to host a DEI-related event, please contact Trina Larsen Andras, PhD, at larsent@drexel.edu. Applicants will need to briefly describe their project and its benefits and timeline as well as provide a tentative proposed budget. The DEI Fund review committee will look through each request and decide how much funding will be granted to those who request it.