All directly admitted freshmen pursuing business degrees were eligible for the scholarship, though special consideration was given to students from backgrounds underrepresented in the business school.
The scholars are from various states, including New Jersey, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan and Florida.
Majors of the scholars include finance, management, marketing and operations, according to an IU press release.
The Kelley Dean’s Council is composed of 162 business leaders who aid and advise the dean of the business school.
The council was founded in 1972 to serve as a bridge between the school of business and the business community, according to the release.
The Dean’s Council Scholar program is one of many initiatives at the business school to improve diversity.
The business school also named 28 incoming freshmen Fry Scholars. These scholars will receive financial aid and work with upperclassmen mentors.
“We also offer pre-college programs for high school students to introduce them to life at IU,” Brittani Wilson, director of diversity initiatives at the business school, said.
The percentage of underrepresented students at the business school is rising.
Of incoming students at the business school, 9.4 percent are from minority backgrounds, not including international students.
These minorities include African-American, Hispanic-American and Asian-American students, as well as students who identify as more than one race. In the past year, the amount was 8.09 percent.
“We traditionally, in business, have been underrepresented in many different areas: socioeconomics, race, gender,” said Luke Leftwich, director of the undergraduate program at the business school.
“We wanted to attract more talented, underrepresented students in the country,” Leftwich said.
The Kelley Dean’s Council founded the Dean’s Council Scholars program as part of the school’s diversity efforts, Leftwich said.
The council will fund the scholarship through their philanthropic resources. Members of the council assist the business school with fundraising efforts and many contribute gifts themselves, according to the Dean’s Council website.
“We want to have diversity and inclusion in a team-based curriculum because it allows for innovative and creative discussion,” Leftwich said. “When you have people from the same background they tend to engage in groupthink. We want our students to challenge each other.”
