Gathering information, exchanging ideas and mentoring highlighted the fourth annual Management Faculty of Color Association’s recent conference at the Robert Morris University School of Business. Carrying the theme of “Dynamic Dialogues: Faculty Conversations Across the Academy,” the confab was designed to provide participants with information, tools and techniques to enhance their research, teaching and development.

DIALOGUE—Panelists of the Dialogues Between the Corporate Community and the Academy session from left: Aaron Walton, Jada Grandy, Timothy Johnson, Gregory Spencer—moderator, David Motley and Bridgette Driver.

An international organization, MFCA’s membership consists of African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans and Native-American business management faculty—“all educators,” explains Darlene Motley, Ph.D., event co-chair. “There is a small amount of management professionals at the college level in the country,” she points out describing the need for such an organization and the reason for the conference. “Here we get to share resources, teach technology that works and deal with issues we face in the work space.”

Sessions during the three-day conference addressed such topics as the academic, social, and economic perspectives of hurricane Katrina, groundbreaking paths in research, innovations in teaching, finding fulfillment in an academic career and the impact of diversity on management dialogues.

A highlight of the conference was a panel discussion among local executives from varied fields concerning collaboration between the corporate and academic communities. Topics discussed included students not being prepared for the workforce and the skills they need to successful.

“The potential workforce needs technical skills and should have cognitive thinking abilities,” says Jada Grandy, a Robert Morris University graduate. Panelists agreed that future workers must be critical thinkers, multi-taskers, team players, versatile, and to possess strong leadership ability.

Aaron Walton, a 37-year veteran with Highmark, Inc. stressed the importance for corporations and businesses to build relationships and to get involved with youth organizations. “We must work with organizations that prepare youth for the future.”

From the audience and representing academia, Audrey Murrell, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz School of Business emphasized the importance of working with and developing students at lower grade levels.

“By the time they get to my class room it’s too late,” she pointed out.

As moderator, Gregory Spencer, president and chief executive officer of Randall Enterprises LLC, and an executive committee member of RMU, summed up the discussion by pointing out that parents, academia, organizations and businesses have to work in a collaborative effort to get students to succeed at all phases of their life. Scholarships, internship programs and mentorship are all a piece of the puzzle.  

Panelists included Bridgette Driver, senior manager for human resources diversity at FedEx Ground; Grandy, associate national bank examiner with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency; Timothy Johnson, director of Allegheny County’s administrative services; David Motley, vice president of Respironics, Inc.; and Walton, senior vice president of corporate affairs with Highmark, Inc.

Hosted by the School of Business, Robert Morris University, the conference was co-chaired by assistant professor of human resources Darlene Motley, Ph.D., and assistant professor of management Daria Crawley, Ph.D., both from RMU.

Conference sponsors were Chester Engineers; the School of Business and Economics, North Carolina A&T State University; the Joseph M. Bryan School of Business and Economics, and the University of North Carolina—Greensboro.  

A non-profit organization founded in 2001, MFCA will hold its 2008 conference in Australia.