Our History

The PhD Project member network has proven invaluable in supporting minority groups which have been underrepresented in doctoral programs. In fact, according to data from AACSB International, the successful completion and retention rates of our members eclipse the U.S. average by a significant margin:

90% – doctoral program completion rate of PhD Project members.

70% – US average for overall doctoral program completion rate.

97% – Rate of PhD Project members who accept faculty position upon graduation.

60% – US average for overall higher education professors/faculty retention.

Timeline

1994

The PhD Project is initiated by the KPMG Foundation, Citi, AACSB and GMAC!
The first Annual Conference is held in December in Chicago
The Accounting Doctoral Students Association is formed on August 10th in Montvale

1996

The PhD Project Information Systems Doctoral Students Association is formed December 14th in Cleveland.

1997

The PhD Project Finance Doctoral Students Association is formed on October 15th in Honolulu.

The PhD Project Marketing Doctoral Student Association is formed on August 2nd in Chicago.

The PhD Project Management Doctoral Students Association is formed on August 11th in Boston

1998

The PhD Project caps our very first PhD Project participant, Dr. Alisa Mosley. Dr. Mosley, on faculty at Jackson State, attended the 1994 PhD Project November Conference and received her Ph.D. in 1998 from University of Nebraska – Lincoln.

2002

The number of minority faculty has doubled since The PhD Project inception. Dr. Double, Alisha Malloy, now on faculty at North Carolina Central, is the 588th professor capped. Dr. Malloy attended the 1996 PhD Project November Conference and received her PhD in Information Systems from Georgia State University.

2004

The PhD Project celebrates its 10th Anniversary!

2005

The PhD Project is launched as separate 501(c)(3).

2007

The number of minority faculty has tripled since The PhD Project inception. Dr. Triple, Belinda Shipps, now on faculty at North Carolina A&T, is the 882nd professor capped. Dr. Shipps attended the 1996 PhD Project November Conference and received her PhD in Information Systems from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

2008

The PhD Project hosts its 15th Annual Conference… still in Chicago… and launches the anniversary celebration to commemorate 15 years of diversifying academia and corporate America.

2009

The PhD Project caps Dr. Shalei Simms, the nation’s 1,000th minority business professor. Dr. Simms attended the 2001 PhD Project November Conference and received her Ph.D. in Management from Rutgers University. She is on faculty at SUNY-Old Westbury.

2010

The PhD Project AHEAD – Achieving Higher Education Administration Diversity – is launched to encourage tenured minority faculty to explore positions in administration.

2011

The PhD Project Hall of Fame inducts its first honorees, recognized for their sustained commitment to our mission.

2012

Dr. Miles Davis, former Dean of Shenandoah University’s Business School, is the first PhD Project participant to become Dean.

2013

The number of historically underrepresented faculty has quadrupled since The PhD Project inception. Dr. Cuatro, James Alvarez-Mourey, now on faculty at DePaul University, is the 1,176th professor capped. Dr. Alvarez-Mourey attended the 2005 PhD Project November Conference and received his PhD from University of Michigan.

2014

The PhD Project celebrates its 20th Anniversary!

2015

The PhD Project celebrates its 10th Anniversary as a separate 501 (c)(3).

Faculty Alumni Association Sessions initiated at summer conference.

Bentley Teaching Strategies Seminar offered to PhD Project members.

2016

AACSB Aspiring Leaders Seminar offered to PhD Project tenured faculty member

2017

PhD Project Information Sessions added in NYC, Chicago, Houston, San Diego, San Francisco, Atlanta & Boston

2018

PhD Project-Baruch College Research Symposium

Board Fit: Preparing Business Academic Leaders for Corporate Board Service

Dr. Miles Davis, President of Linfield College, is the first PhD Project participant to become President

The number of minority faculty quintuples since 1994. Dr. Cinco, Nicole Fuller becomes the 1,470th minority business school professor. Dr. Fuller attended the 2010 PhD Project November Conference. She receives her Ph.D. in Management from Texas A&M University and joins the faculty at University of New Orleans.

2019

The PhD Project celebrates its 25th Anniversary!

2021

The PhD Project unveils its rebranded website and vision, “Building a stronger, more diverse workforce. Together.”

2022

The PhD Projects partners with The Tenure Project to increase the number of junior business faculty of color receiving tenure.

2023

The number of historically underrepresented faculty has sextupled since The PhD Project’s inception. Dr. Mauricio Mercado, now a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Lender Center for Social Justice. at Syracuse University, is the 1,764th professor capped. Dr. Mauricio Mercado received his PhD from Iowa State University.