Former Ph.D. Student Files Racial Discrimination Suit Against UNC Kenan-Flagler

Kenan-Flagler School MBA students leaving the McColl Building on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill. The B-school is being sued in federal court by a former Ph.D. student who alleges racial discrimination. UNC photo

From Chapel Hill, North Carolina: The University of North Carolina is facing allegations of racial discrimination as a former graduate student filed a federal lawsuit against UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School claiming discrimination and retaliation, according to local news reports.

The attorney for the former student, Rose Brown, told local news station ABC11 that she was excelling in the Kenan-Flagler Ph.D. program and was praised for her work — until she spoke up about discrimination. “This is not someone who failed and who’s trying to blame race. This is someone who succeeded and was still kicked out. And that raises all kinds of question marks,” attorney Artur Davis said.

UNC Kenan-Flagler is ranked No. 19 in the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking. Brown, who is Black, is a Kings Mountain, North Carolina native who was accepted and enrolled as a Ph.D. candidate at the school in March 2020, the only Black woman in the program at the time. In her civil suit, filed Tuesday (August 30), Brown said was forced out of the school one year later after she filed a complaint with the university’s Equal Opportunity Compliance Office complaining of a pattern of discriminatory and hostile treatment.

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Michigan State Broad College of Business Dean Sanjay Gupta resigned in August

Michigan State trustees hire legal counsel to investigate decision to oust Broad College dean

From East Lansing, Michigan: A Michigan State University trustee said the board has hired legal counsel to review a decision by MSU Provost Teresa Woodruff that led to Broad College of Business Dean Sanjay Gupta leaving the school in mid-August.

Board of Trustees Vice Chairman Dan Kelly said a three-sentence statement he released was “on behalf of an overwhelming majority of the board members.” He did not name other board members who supported his position.

“The removal of Sanjay Gupta as Dean of the Broad College of Business was implemented by the Provost of the University with the support of the President,” Kelly wrote, contradicting the school’s earlier assertion that Gupta resigned. “The authority to remove a dean is vested in the Provost, and the propriety of that act is the responsibility of the President. The Board of Trustees is responsible for the oversight and governance of the University and has retained outside counsel to review the administration’s decision in this matter.”

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Yale gatekeepers share their best advice for applicants

From New Haven, Connecticut: In a recent panel for applicants, Yale assistant deans for admissions offered advice to applicants. Watch the recording; read on for the highlights.

“The main thing is we’re looking to bring together a diverse class of students, and the way to stand out is by not trying to stand out,” says Bruce DelMonico, assistant dean for admissions. “Don’t try and predict what we’re looking for because we’re looking for so many different things, and it’s not any one thing. Don’t try and game it by thinking to yourself that you will stand a better chance if you present this profile or this background. Stick to who you are.

“The key of being successful is emphasizing your strengths, what you will bring to the program. As a corollary to that, don’t ignore your weaknesses. Everybody has strengths and weaknesses, and there is no such thing as a perfect candidate. A lot of times, the more successful applicants are ones that incorporate weaknesses into the application and help us understand how they have overcome them and maybe why that informs what you want to do as an MBA student.”