Young Women in Business Forum
skills, and support to succeed
A panel of women in business discuss their experiences
Attracting more young women to the business field The W.P. Carey School of Business held its first “Young Women in Business Forum” in March, 2012, at the Memorial Union at ASU’s Tempe Campus. Sponsored by companies such as Intel and Vanguard, the purpose of the forum was to generate interest and knowledge about academic and career opportunities in business among women, who are currently underrepresented in some specific business fields. “We want to make young women aware of the opportunities in all sectors of business,” says Amy Hillman, W. P. Carey School of Business Executive Dean. “It’s important to dispel the myth that certain business areas are more oriented toward men. We work with recruiters from top companies all the time, and they continue to tell us they want more female candidates for the jobs they have open.” About 200 participants, including students from at least 10 local high schools, were in attendance at this nearly day-long event. Groups from Maricopa High School, Chandler High School, Mountain Pointe High School, Thunderbird High School and Marcos de Niza High School were bussed to campus so that they could participate. The event included seminars on the
opportunities available in fields such as finance, computer information systems, and economics, which are currently lacking adequate representation of women. There were also sessions on topics especially important to women in the workplace, such as work-life balance and mentoring. “This was a chance for young women who aren’t sure what they want to do for a living to learn more about some of the most popular business fields out there,” says Tim Desch, Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Admissions at the W. P. Carey School of Business. “For example, we have an incredible job-placement rate for our nationally renowned supply chain management program, but high school students may not even know much about that particular field.” Based on the positive feedback received from event participants, W.P. Carey School of Business is exploring the possibility of offering this event on an annual basis. “Our top employers emphasize that women bring tremendous value and diverse viewpoints to their organizations, especially in areas that have been male-dominated in the past,” says Hillman. “We want to help young women find the motivation to enter these fields and provide them with the tools to succeed.” ■
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