Strengthening its focus on the intersection of diversity, equity and inclusion, and research, Fisher College of Business will add three new faculty positions dedicated to advancing racial minority economic and business opportunity.

The new positions were among 22 recently announced as part of Ohio State’s Race, Inclusion and Social Equity (RAISE) initiative. Since its launch in January 2022, the program has created 47 tenure-track faculty positions across the university with research concentrations focused on addressing racial and social disparities.

“Fisher is honored to have been selected to receive faculty funding as part of the RAISE initiative,” said Anil K. Makhija, dean and John W. Berry, Sr. Chair in Business. “We know the incredible power and potential that business education and outreach can provide; poor outcomes in health, education and professional opportunities can be traced to disparities in family income and wealth tied to race and ethnicity. The COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated these gaps.”

In addition to three new tenure-track faculty, Fisher will add two additional faculty members who will enhance scholarship addressing the distinct career and business-related challenges that underrepresented groups face. The research and scholarship generated by the RAISE-funded faculty will underpin a new scholarly community – the Fisher DEI Business Research Initiative – that will engage each of the college’s five academic departments.

Tracy Dumas, professor of management and human resources, will lead the initiative as its academic director. She will work closely with Fisher’s department chairs on the creation of an internal advisory committee, a multidisciplinary mentoring team for junior RAISE hires, and she will lead the hiring of RAISE faculty.

Among the many topics the initiative may explore are:

• How individuals and organizations can better understand career life cycles of the underrepresented workforce, from initial recruitment to ascendance to leadership positions
• How teams and organizations leverage the advantages of demographic diversity to improve performance
• How to improve operational excellence and overall performance of diverse organizations
• The roles government and nonprofits play in supporting minority-owned and operated business enterprises
• Which training and leadership development programs are most effective in narrowing opportunity gaps for underrepresented individuals who launch and manage their own business enterprises

“Our goal with this funding is to position Fisher as a leader in research and programming on minority-owned business,” Makhija said. “We are excited to be able to recruit individuals who, through their academic research, are committed to identifying and providing solutions to close race-based opportunity gaps in business enterprises, among consumers and throughout the career life cycle.”