Associate professor of business administration and newly appointed director of EDI, Jieying Chen has conducted and published research on topics such as cross-cultural interactions, mindfulness, judgment and decision making, and strategic human resource management. She is currently conducting a project on immigrant adaptation, and some of her recent research examines factors that affect individuals’ adaptation in a new environment and gender issues in the workplace.

Chen was appointed director of EDI at the Asper School of Business effective July 1, 2024.

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What drew you to the Asper School of Business? What are some of the courses and subjects that you teach?

“First, the University of Manitoba has a great reputation in Canada as a U15 university. We do great teaching here, but there is also a strong emphasis on research that appealed to me. Second, Canada has a reputation as a diverse and inclusive society, which matters to me personally and in my work. Third, when I interviewed at Asper, I felt highly welcomed. People spoke to me with kindness and understanding, and I felt that the School was very inclusive.

“I teach human resource management courses, including the core course for HR majors, an elective course about compensation and courses at the PhD level. One thing I try to implement is experiential learning, such as role play, in classes.”

Chen shares how students in her classes have a chance to study the ins and outs of HR processes through this form of experiential learning. She explains how they confront the emotionality and complexity of HR while learning to grapple with the ethics of performance reviews, negotiations and other aspect of HR systems.

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What inspires your research, and what led you down this path?

“When I was younger, I would say that I wanted to be everything from a scientist to a TV host, but what always remained deep in my heart was a desire to travel the world. I am interested in learning about other cultures and understanding new places.

“Today, researching HR, I’m interested in how people navigate change by going abroad and taking on a new position. Early studies in the literature took a relatively static approach to studying the experience of working and living in a new country, but I’m interested in that transition and adaptation as dynamic, constantly changing processes.”

Chen’s earlier studies looked at expats—individuals who have left their home country to start a role elsewhere—and asked what factors might affect their success or premature return home. She has also recently studied immigrants’ adaptations in new workplaces.

“It’s important for us to understand what helps immigrants adapt to new countries and workplaces and what does not,” she adds.

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What do you hope to achieve as the Asper School of Business director of EDI? What inspired you to accept this role?

“I feel very blessed to be in this role, and I was motivated to accept because at Asper and UM we have very supportive leadership when it comes to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion.

“There are two initiatives that I want to support and lead, building on the work of the Asper EDI Task Force so far. One is to officially launch our Asper EDI survey, which has been in the works for some time. Our second goal is to review and launch an Asper EDI action plan.”

For Chen, this role as director of EDI is another adventure that she is ready to explore, embracing the transitions, adaptations, challenges and opportunities that arise on a continuous journey of leadership.

Through her research on immigrant adaptations in the workplace and her community work with Chinese newcomers in Winnipeg, she knows that adaptation and self-discovery are dynamic processes of continuous improvement.

“You have to be patient with yourself—learning anything of value takes time,” she says.

Reconciliation through Business Scholarship is one of the strategic priorities outlined in our 2019-23 Pursuing our Asper-ations Strategic Plan. This priority calls on us to develop curricula and promote research incorporating Indigenous perspectives, in addition to advancing reconciliation and mutual learning among Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, staff and faculty. To continue down our path of reconciliation, the Asper School of Business has allotted fellowships for qualified Indigenous students entering the Stu Clark Graduate School to increase the awareness and sharing of Indigenous perspectives within the program.

*This June also marks more than a year since the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc shared their discovery of 215 Indigenous children’s remains at the site of a former Kamloops residential school. The search throughout Turtle Island continues as research indicates the possibility of thousands of unmarked graves, confirming what many Indigenous people have known for generations. My thoughts are with everyone affected.

Today I ask that we commit ourselves to meaningful reconciliation beyond National Indigenous Peoples Day. If you are unsure where to begin your path toward reconciliation, UM Indigenous Engagement and Communications has created a top 10 recommended media list. Recommendations range from books, musicians, social media influencers, films, and online resources suggested by the UM Indigenous community. 

The Asper School of Business recognizes that reconciliation is not a destination, but a transformational process that does not stop after June 21. Reconciliation through Business Scholarship is an ongoing commitment and we continue to invest in making our School a safe learning environment while incorporating Indigenous values.

Thank you, ekosi, miigwech, maarsii, and happy National Indigenous Peoples Day!

Bruno S. Silvestre, PhD
Acting Dean, I.H. Asper School of Business
Acting CPA Manitoba Chair in Business Leadership
CN Professor in Supply Chain Management

*Some information in this statement may be distressing. A national Residential School Crisis Line is available for anyone affected: 1-866-925-4419.

The event will take place virtually on Wednesday, October 20 at 5pm. All UM students, alumni and community members are invited to attend.  Through a fireside chat, Douglas will speak about leadership and the courage required to advocate for equality for the LGBT2Q+ community in a conservative military climate.

Dr. Suzanne Gagnon, Director of the James W. Burns Leadership Institute, Canada Life Chair and an Associate Dean in the Asper School, will moderate the event as Douglas takes us through her decades-long commitment to volunteerism and activism.

“The James W. Burns Leadership Institute is proud to host Michelle Douglas, a leader whose outstanding accomplishments and commitment to LGBTQ2S+ rights inspire us to create a better future. We look forward to this opportunity for Michelle to engage with students and the community from across the University of Manitoba,” said Gagnon.

More about Michelle Douglas:

Douglas served as an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces from 1986 – 1989. Despite a distinguished service record, she was honourably discharged after being deemed “Not Advantageously Employable Due to Homosexuality”. Her landmark legal challenge in 1992 ended Canada’s formalized discriminatory policy against LGBT members of the military.

After a 30-year career in public service, Douglas retired from the Canadian Department of Justice in 2019 where she held the position of Director of International Relations. In addition to her current position as Executive Director of the LGBT Purge Fund, Douglas is a member of the board of directors of the Michaëlle Jean Foundation. For her indefatigable advocacy work, Michelle was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. Most recently, Maclean’s Magazine named Michelle on their “The Power List” of 2021.

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Visit the James W. Burns Leadership Institute web page to register for the October 20^th event and for more information about upcoming leadership initiatives for students from all faculties and disciplines.

Dr. Jacoby began his career at Asper as an Assistant Professor in 1998. He left in 2009 to teach at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, but returned to Asper four years later. Since his return, he has served as the Bryce Douglas Professor in Finance, Associate Dean (Research and Graduate Programs), and for the past four years, the School’s Acting Dean and then Dean.

As Dean, Dr. Jacoby spearheaded many initiatives that will leave a lasting impact at Asper: enhancements to the Stu Clark Graduate School programs, significant renovations to the Drake Centre – the School’s physical home, a commitment to enhancing reconciliation and Indigenous Business education, and one of the most proactive stances on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) of all UM faculties. All of this built around an overall goal to support an outstanding student experience.

The Asper Communications Team interviewed Dr. Jacoby as he prepared to for his move back to Israel, and he spoke about his most memorable moments, lessons for the next Dean and what he will miss most about Asper.

Asper Communications: You had an opportunity to shape the Asper School of Business in your time as a faculty member, as Acting Dean and as Dean. Did you have a plan from the beginning or did it evolve?

Jacoby: When I started the role I had some plans, for example, the growth of the School’s graduate programs was something that I knew I wanted to pursue. I also wanted a leadership team that reflected our faculty diversity. I also planned to prioritize research and boost research support in the School, enhancing the upward trajectory in research quality we experienced over the past decade.

However, many new ideas were added as the role evolved. When I became Dean, other areas needed to be prioritized, including the importance of elevating reconciliation and Indigenous inclusion. This was actually something I started working on as Acting Dean when we established the Indigenous Awareness Infusion Committee. Redeveloping Drake was also on my mind and after realizing we had the means, we started investing in building upgrades.

Asper Communications: Why was upgrading the building important to you, and what component of the building are you most proud of and why?

Jacoby: The Drake Centre is 34 years old and its age has started showing. We have some spaces that only required painting, but other areas were non-functional. There was, in my view, inefficient usage of the space in some areas that had to be renovated to elevate the school to 21^st century design. Having a professional-looking business school is important for a U15 university and there also needs to be a sense of pride in the School. In my view, a building that makes us feel proud contributes tremendously to a sense of shared identity and the quality of work from students, staff and faculty.

The most significant transformation for me is the fifth floor, the new home for our Stu Clark Graduate School. It now has an extremely high-end professional look and this is important to house the lucrative and pricy professional graduate programs. To successfully compete for quality graduate students, we had to bring ourselves to the norm of other business schools who provide similar programming and a professional environment.  

In addition, a PhD defence room was created on the fifth floor. This room was developed to signal the importance of this event for us in the life of the School, and as such, we recognize it by having a dedicated room that can now also be used for other things outside of PhD defences.

At same time, other building investments support improved learning experience.  For example, many new Asper classrooms are active learning classrooms, equipped with a reconfigurable furniture setup, white boards installed on all walls and high-tech built-in audio-visual equipment. This arrangement and the formulation of the classroom make teaching and learning more flexible, improve group work arrangements and facilitate in-class interactions and online interactions with guests appearing virtually.

Asper Communications: As an individual who did not grow up in Canada, how quickly into your time at Asper did you come to understand the importance of including an Indigenous perspective in Business Education?

Jacoby: I have to say that I was completely unaware of the realities until I became Acting Dean. I had Indigenous friends in the city, I had knowledge of the history, and in general, I knew about residential schools. However, knowledge and awareness are two different things. I knew that an injustice had happened here and it still exists. However, before I was in this leadership position I did not think I had any influence. It is something that you care about, but you feel that you are limited in how you can help, which is wrong. Now I see that everybody can help, even if it is only in a small way.

However, we are not well versed within our own country, even fellow Canadians [who] are born here have some knowledge, but it is limited. Each one of us has a responsibility to reconciliation, just like any other Canadian, no less no more, whether you’re born here or not. We all live on Indigenous land and we have the same responsibilities to the Indigenous communities and to the process of reconciliation.

Asper Communications: As a faculty, Asper has taken one of the most direct stances to prioritize EDI. How do you feel about being a leader in this area and why was it important to you?

Jacoby: Social justice has always been important to me. Ever since I was a kid, I have always felt discomfort with injustice and an urge to do something. However, my commitment to EDI at Asper started last summer with the series of articles that came out in the Globe and Mail and other mainstream media outlets. While Asper was not mentioned in these articles, I did not fool myself to think that we didn’t have some of the same problems they referenced. I knew we needed to gauge where we were on this issue as a School. To me, it is not acceptable if there is even one case of discrimination.

Signalling is extremely important and that is why actually the first action was EDI training. I wanted the school leadership, including me, to be trained first. That was a signal to the community that the School leadership views this as a priority, which is important when you want to change the culture.

The Asper School of Business faculty body is extremely diverse, possibly one of the most diverse business schools in North America. We wanted to take advantage of that diversity through the development of an EDI Task Force.

The task force co-chairs and Asper Associate Deans, Suzanne Gagnon, Subbu Sivaramakrishnan and I agreed that we want to be fully transparent about everything. For example, posting reports and recommendations on our website for everybody to see. Accountability is extremely important with this process. We cannot just set targets and hope that it is going to happen. We have to have accountability to measure ourselves, and if we fail, we have to acknowledge our failure.

Asper Communications: The Asper School of Business has a strong connection with the business community. How did that play a role in your time as Dean?

Jacoby: The interface with the business community is very strong in many different ways. Many of the people in this community are UM graduates, and many of them are Asper graduates with a strong affinity for the School. Our main goal is to provide an academically rigorous program, but we also want to know what industry wants so we can accommodate and modify our curriculum to deliver that. It is a win-win for everybody.

The business community often provides support when we develop programs. When we developed the Master of Supply Chain and Logistics Program, many logistics and supply chain and transportation companies in Winnipeg supported us and our application to the province. We’re very lucky to have that support.

We also receive a lot of support from The Associates. During COVID, The Associates gave $50,000 to support students who lost their co-op positions or summer jobs. They also give us an annual gift, which is extremely helpful as it allows us to support student activities and the Faculty Achievement Awards, and this support is very important for the school.

The support of the business community is also reflected in the donations our School receives. The financial support we receive from donors and members of our business community is outstanding. It goes to students, our research and our research facilities like the Stu Clark Graduate School on the fifth floor. I will never forget the day we received $6 million from Stu Clark to create a Behavioural Management Research Centre.

Now, the money is great, and it is a good way to support the school, but actually, the most crucial support, in my view, is the mentorship of our students. This could be in the form of coaching a case team, judging case competitions, or participating in events such as our gala dinners and luncheons we have for the new students. The strong commitment of members of the Associates of the Asper School has made all this possible.

Asper Communications: What are your most memorable student experiences or initiatives and why?

Jacoby: There are so many, but one of the first that comes to mind is the Entrepreneurship Pitch Competition.

We introduced a new entrepreneurship core course in 2019 and as part of that course, there is an Elevator Pitch Competition. This course was spearheaded and taught by Zhenyu Wu, a Canada Research Chair in Entrepreneurship and Associate Dean Research, and Wenlong Yuan, the Stu Clark Chair in Entrepreneurship, together with colleagues. The pitch competition was run by the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship under the amazing leadership of Deborah Jonasson-Young and her staff, Amy Jones and Lindsay Friesen.

I was asked to speak at the first event as part of the competition, which took place on a Friday evening in the Asper fishbowl. When I stepped out of the Dean’s Office and went around the corner, I saw hundreds of students and felt the electrifying atmosphere.

This moment was memorable, as I had the opportunity to witness the positive impact of something we created – the electricity in the room, and the enthusiasm of the student community.  When you see the impact on the students, it is extremely gratifying. This type of student experience is what made my role as Dean so rewarding.

Another example of the value of the student experience is the Asper student participation in case competitions. We prioritized experiential learning in our Pursuing our Asper-ations strategic plan. As part of that priority, we hired Judy Jayasuriya to become Asper’s Lead in Experiential Learning.

In that role, Judy has made a huge impact in our student case competition success, both in the number of virtual competitions students participate in and in the placing of our students in these competitions. I often hear feedback about how polished our students are in the competitions and I know that is a result of Judy’s coaching and student preparation.

You see the positive impact on our students and you can feel their sense of achievement.

The Asper School is AACSB accredited, a distinction reserved to less than five percent of business schools worldwide. In its new accreditation standards, AACSB placed experiential learning as an important goal an accredited School should pursue. As the Associate Dean in charge of accreditation, Bruno Silvestre (also incoming Acting Dean) has played an important role in building a self-evaluation process to ensure we deliver top-notch experiential learning opportunities to our students.

Asper Communications: What advice do you have for the new Dean coming after you?

Jacoby: What guided me throughout my role as dean was the importance of having a goal; knowing that goal and pursuing that goal in everything you do. I asked myself, “is this decision contributing to that goal or not?” If it is not, I do not pursue it.

My goal as Dean was to provide the best student experience possible. Ultimately, if we provide a good student experience this is good for the School, the university, the city and the province.

Really, student experience applies to everything, even in the areas of faculty research. We are always looking to retain our top faculty members by supporting outstanding research opportunities. If we retain our best researchers, we retain our best teachers and that supports an outstanding student experience.

Asper Communications: What precipitated your move?

Jacoby: For me, going back to Israel was always very important. I have my family there and I want to spend some good years with [them] and my childhood friends. I left Israel was I was 30 years old. I have spent 27 years in North America, but much of my adult life was in Israel and to me it is a natural move.

At the same time, I also feel that the Asper School of Business is at a good point and we have accomplished many things that are here to stay. I wanted to leave at a time where I felt that the School was ready. Thanks to a strong team and amazing faculty and staff, I feel it is.

Asper Communications: What will you miss about Asper?

Jacoby: The people. I will miss the Asper students, staff and faculty tremendously.

The human component and the interpersonal relationships – that is what I enjoyed the most about my experience here. I have so many friends here that I gained over the years. It is difficult for me; this is not [an] easy time for me. Because of these strong relationships, I am moving with ambivalence. I am at peace with my decision to return to Israel, but it is not to say that I am not still ambivalent as saying goodbye to my colleagues and friends is emotionally difficult.

Dr. Gagnon assumes this role from Dr. David Stangeland who served in this position since 2018. Dr. Stangeland, who played a key role in supporting the expansion and enhancement of the Stu Clark Graduate School during his term, will return to his faculty position in Asper’s Department of Accounting and Finance after a one-year administrative leave.

As Associate Dean, Dr. Gagnon will lead the School’s professional graduate programs. These include three programs within the Stu Clark Graduate School: the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Finance (MFin) and the new Master of Supply Chain Management and Logistics (MSCM), set to launch this fall with its first cohort. Gagnon will also oversee the James W. Burns Executive Education Centre, which provides an extensive range of executive training and professional development programs designed to support advanced leadership skills.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Gagnon to the role of Associate Dean of Professional Programs at the Asper School of Business,” said Dr. Gady Jacoby, Dean and CPA Manitoba Chair in Business Leadership. “Her extensive experience in organizational leadership, leadership development and organizational change will strengthen the quality of our professional graduate programs and her expertise in social diversity and inclusion will play a key role in supporting the Asper School of Business’ commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion in our ever-evolving global business community.”

Dr. Gagnon joined the Asper School of Business in fall 2018 as an Associate Professor and the inaugural Director of the James W. Burns Leadership Institute, joining the school from McGill University. She holds the Canada Life Chair in Leadership Education and has successfully overseen the launch of the Institute, working with a community and business-based advisory board to enhance leadership education across the University of Manitoba and the Province of Manitoba. Dr. Gagnon teaches two MBA courses and currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Asper Task Force on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. She is an award-winning scholar in leadership, diversity and inclusion, and holds a number of Tri-Council grants supporting her work.

Dr. Gagnon also spearheaded the addition of the Manitoba hub to the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub and its National Indigenous Lead at the Asper School. In 2019, she facilitated the development of Pursuing our Asper-ations, Asper’s current strategic plan (2019-2024). Dr. Gagnon will continue in her roles at the James W. Burns Leadership Institute alongside her new Associate Dean appointment.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues as we grow our professional graduate programs, augmenting our excellent student body and deepening our impact both locally and globally.”

-Dr. Suzanne Gagnon

Reconciliation through Business Scholarship is one of the strategic priorities outlined in our 2019-23 Pursuing our Asper-ations Strategic Plan. This priority calls on us to develop curricula and promote research incorporating Indigenous perspectives, in addition to advancing reconciliation and mutual learning among Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, staff and faculty. 
 
Earlier this year, we appointed Mary Jane Maillet Brownscombe as the Asper School of Business’ first Indigenous Relations Executive-in-Residence, a role that will help foster and expand awareness of the role of business in Call to Action #92, ‘Business and Reconciliation.’ 
 
In March, Asper’s Indigenous Business Education Partners and the James W. Burns Leadership Institute introduced the inaugural Emerging Themes in Indigenous Business research conference. More than 200 people from around the world gathered virtually to discuss research that explores this theme. 
 
We are also reviewing the Asper curriculum to find ways to increase the infusion of Indigenous content within our courses. We look forward to providing more updates on this in the near future. 
 
While we celebrate in June, we are also grieving. Last month, Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation revealed evidence of 215 Indigenous children’s remains at the site of former Kamloops residential school. Just recently, research has indicated the possibility of more than 100 graves relating to a residential school, many unmarked, could be found near Brandon, Manitoba. 
 
Indigenous community members have long asserted that many more victims exist than previously recorded or reported and these discoveries confirm their truth-telling. We mourn with the families and communities impacted by these stolen lives and many others documented by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, but we know that such gestures ring hollow without concrete actions that directly support the implementation of the TRC’s Calls to Action. 
 
While we cannot erase the pain of atrocities such as these, we can observe National Indigenous Peoples Day as an opportunity to recommit ourselves toward meaningful reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. I encourage you to educate yourself about the traditional lands you live on and to learn about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 94 Calls to Action. 
 
Thank you, ekosi, miigwech, maarsii, 
 
Gady Jacoby 
 

Brownscombe will play a significant role in that conversation now that she is the first Indigenous Business Relations Executive in Residence at the Asper School of Business. She possesses a unique combination of education, business expertise, insight and experience that is essential to build a welcoming and respectful environment that values diversity and honours Indigenous traditions.

As a woman of Métis descent Mary Jane realized that she had a responsibility to advance success and inclusion for all Indigenous Peoples. However, like many Canadians, Mary Jane’s understanding of the history of Indigenous People in a colonized Canada was limited. A believer in the value of post-secondary education, Brownscombe took a brief break from her career to do course work and then while working full-time as Indigenous Relations Executive with IBM Canada, she completed her M.A in Native Studies with the thesis Entrepreneurship: A Journey of  Economic Self-Determination [2011]. Her thesis set out to demonstrate that Indigenous entrepreneurs can assert Indigenous values in capital markets and that Indigenous entrepreneurship is essential to social and economic well-being.

Brownscombe spent 10 years advancing Indigenous inclusion with IBM Canada before launching  SHEanalytics, an enterprise that generates thought leadership to advance inclusion and success for Women and Indigenous Peoples. You may be familiar with SHEday, the thought leadership conference that she co-founded. Over the past five years, the annual event brought over 100 speakers and more than 5,000 delegates together to engage in discussions that advance inclusion for women in leadership. As Brownscombe notes, “Sharing an idea and taking action on it can have a profound impact and make a significant difference for others, and this is what really led me to accept the opportunity to serve as the inaugural Indigenous Business Relations Executive in Residence.

“Mary Jane’s perspective will help the School provide a welcoming and respectful environment for our First Nations, Métis and Inuit students and will enhance mutual learning among Indigenous and non-Indigenous students and our broader community,” says Dr. Gady Jacoby, Dean and CPA Manitoba Chair in Business Leadership. “The Asper community is fortunate to be supported by a national leader such as Mary Jane, our inaugural Indigenous Business Relations Executive in Residence, who will help us pursue our strategic goal on Reconciliation through business scholarship.”

Mary Jane will help illuminate Indigenous perspectives at all levels, from student and faculty experiences, to curriculum and business reconciliation. She agrees with the School’s perspective that education, research, and business practice is essential to ensuring that the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action are implemented and practiced. The School will develop curriculum, will promote research that is inclusive of Indigenous business matters, will increase engagement with Indigenous business community, and importantly the School will foster expanded awareness of the role of business in Call to Action #92 ‘Business and Reconciliation.’

“It’s essential for students to feel included and to have a role in the planning and development that is involved in creating business reconciliation,” asserts Brownscombe, with the appreciation that the Asper School is creating tomorrow’s business leaders. “We will begin with self-reflection to assess where we’ve seen inclusive success in the School and to understand where we are at. The School’s work to increase awareness of the strategic importance of Business and Reconciliation will build momentum for diversity and inclusion practice across Manitoba, Canada, and beyond.” 

More About Mary Jane Maillet Brownscombe

Mary Jane is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SHEanalytics, an enterprise that generates thought leadership to advance inclusion and success for Women and Indigenous. Prior to founding SHEanalytics, Mary Jane shaped her career holding executive positions with Red River College, University of Manitoba, Women’s Enterprise Centre and IBM Canada. Seeing a gap in leadership programming designed for women, Mary Jane co-founded SHEday a one-day women in leadership event held in Winnipeg. Over a five-year span SHEday hosted over 100 speakers to share their leadership stories with in excess of 5,000 delegates. The demand for participation with this social innovation demonstrated the essential work needing to be done to advance diversity and inclusion.

Mary Jane serves as a Member of the Advisory Board for the University of Manitoba Institute for Leadership as Member of the Manitoba Women’s Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub as a Member of the Committee on Research Partnerships with NSERC; as a Director of a number of private-held corporations. Her past appointments include governance roles with University of Manitoba Alumni Council; Ka Ni Kanichihk Council; Winnipeg Police Board; Economic Development Winnipeg Board; Travel Manitoba Board; Aboriginal Human Resource Council Canada; Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business; Risk Management & Governance Board of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Mary Jane is a wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, auntie, friend.

The Asper School of Business stands behind this important initiative particularly at a time where there has been an increase in incidents of senseless violence and racism, including recent events targeting members of the Asian community.

“At the Asper School of Business, we stand with our Indigenous, Asian, Black, and Persons of Colour (BIPOC) communities and reject all forms of racism,” said Dr. Gady Jacoby, Dean and CPA Manitoba Chair in Business Leadership. “Just last week the Asper community shared the pain of one of our Asian colleagues who was the target of a hate crime in her business in Winnipeg. I want to specifically express my support at this time for our Asian community represented by students, faculty, staff and alumni.”

As part of the commitment to improving the community, in September 2020, the Asper School of Business created a faculty wide Task Force on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. The Task Force, with representation from faculty, administration, staff, students and alumni, that is working to drive a cultural shift that considers any and all patterns of exclusion and discrimination, and raises awareness of the barriers and challenges faced by groups and individuals in our community.

Dr. Suzanne Gagnon, Canada Life Chair in Leadership and Director of James W. Burns Leadership Institute is co-chair of the Task Force, along with Associate Dean Undergraduate Dr. Subbu Sivaramakrishnan.   

 “The City’s initiative in this first Winnipeg Anti-Racism Week focuses specifically on having the difficult conversations that will bring much greater awareness of all forms of racism in our city and community,” said Dr. Gagnon. “We are inspired by this orientation and working to do the same through our Task Force.”

As a way to demonstrate your solidarity with our BIPOC communities, we invite the community to participate in the City of Winnipeg’s Anti-Racism Week activities taking place this week.  University of Manitoba President, Michael Benarroch, also released an anti-racism community message today including information about an upcoming “Dismantling Racism” workshop, and the new “Our Path to Reconciliation” workshop.

We welcome all Asper students to share their stories on our dedicated email address asper.edi@umanitoba.ca to provide ideas and stories that can lead us to a more inclusive and supportive community.

“Over the past three months we saw a series of media articles discussing experiences of racism in Canadian business schools. These articles highlighted EDI issues that BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) students, international students, and students of other minority groups were experiencing,” said Dr. Jacoby. “While the Asper School was not mentioned in these articles, we have recently heard from some of our students and alumni about their EDI concerns. We are taking a proactive approach in engaging with the School’s stakeholders so that we can collect data on EDI at Asper and tackle any issues we may find in an informed manner. The conversations we had with Asper students and alumni also highlighted the need to create an EDI-dedicated session as part of the new student orientation, where a panel of minority group students and alumni could share their experiences and impressions.”

The panel included an opening presentation by EDI expert Dr. Rehman Abdulrehman who also served as moderator. A consulting and clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba, Dr. Abdulrehman applies his skills as a clinician and researcher, and his lived experience as a Person of Colour and an immigrant, to provide a unique perspective when coaching and guiding leaders to gain insight and create effective change. 

Dr. Abdulrehman, who is also a TedX speaker on the subject, opened the session by explaining equity, diversity and inclusion, and providing an illuminating account drawing on his family’s own experience of racism and assimilation coming to Manitoba from Zanzibar when he was a child. He then segued into a discussion with Asper panel participants Justin Monton [BComm. Hons./14] and Reyna Olivares [BComm. Hons./15], both alumni, and Jennifer Moose, Thalia Padron Linares and Leila Wang, who are current Asper students.

The panelists shared personal accounts of discrimination they experienced at Asper. While the disheartening stories and experiences varied, the panelists imparted important words of wisdom, ranging from the power of small gestures to internal structural changes that can help make the Asper School of Business a better place for everyone.

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“The point of this discussion is about the importance of diversity. What I want anyone to take away out of this panel discussion is self-reflection. Why are you doing this? Why are you doing the things you are doing and why is it important to change.” – Justin Monton, Asper Alumnus

“If you are a part of a committee or have the ability to choose a committee, take an audit. Are you choosing peers from the same circle – the ones in multiple committees? Or can you bring in new voices and perspectives?” – Reyna Olivares, Asper Alumna

“As business students we will be future leaders and policy makers. If Asper Students learn about Indigenous history and injustices, they will be more empathetic when it comes to future decisions surrounding Indigenous People and matters. I need my peers to know that something is wrong – and that you can do something about it.”- Jennifer Moose, Asper Student

“A smile from a classmate in the hall is such a small gesture that makes a big difference. This is something that I don’t see regularly.” – Leila Wang, Asper Student

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Stephanie Kalo, CSA President, opened the evening with a land acknowledgement and listened to the emotional accounts from the panelists and student attendees that contributed to the discussion.

“I want to personally thank our panelists and all students for their willingness to share their insights and experiences with myself and other members of the Asper community. I know the topics that were discussed were not easy ones, but it went a long way with everyone listening,” said Kalo. “Not only was I personally impacted, but I’ve already started to receive feedback from other students in attendance about how impactful they found the session to be.”

 Dr. Jacoby closed off the evening on a positive note with reflections on the School’s next steps.

“Thank you to the panelists and students for their courageous contributions and for bringing into light the need to improve the student experience at Asper for every student, to make sure we are living up to our values of inclusion and diversity. We need to re-examine who we are as a community and make the Asper School feel like home to students of all intersectionalities.”

“This is an important turning point for the culture of the Asper community. The personal experiences and insights will help inspire a cultural shift and raise the awareness for the challenges facing the Asper School. We have a long journey ahead of us but we will do the work. That’s my pledge and it’s a pledge of the entire Asper community.”

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As part of the commitment to improving the community, the Asper School of Business has created an EDI task force. In addition to student panel discussions, the School’s faculty, staff and executive team participated in a series of workshops designed to promote good EDI practices.

The School also launched dedicated messaging option as an EDI contact point for all Asper stakeholders– asper.edi@umanitoba.ca.

If you would like to share your experiences or have ideas on how Asper can improve its community please contact asper.edi@umanitoba.ca.

Students at many Canadian business schools have expressed discomfort with the ongoing management of, as well as the response to, issues concerning Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). It would be naïve to think that the Asper School of Business is immune to this issue; recently, we have received some helpful feedback from students and from alumni, regarding discriminatory incidences experienced on and off campus.

We, as a community, can do better. To support our commitment to this issue, the School has formed an EDI taskforce, which aims at proactively addressing discrimination head-on.

Through the EDI task force, we endeavor to foster a more inclusive learning environment for every single student that attends and/or interacts with the Asper School of Business. The taskforce will launch a series of workshops and online tools, designed to promote equal opportunity practices; host EDI training for all faculty, staff, and students; and create new EDI contact points for all Asper stakeholders, including a recently launched dedicated messaging option.

We recognize and thank the individuals who have come forward to share their experiences, as well as those people who have provided ideas for positive change. Please do not hesitate to contact the dedicated e-mail, provided above, to recount incidences, provide recommendations and help us improve.

We, at the Asper School, are extremely committed to welcoming, involving and mutually learning from, as well as with, all members of our community: we take great pride in the diversity of our students, our faculty and our staff. Together, with the help of our community – our friends – we move forward, better than we were before.

Gady Jacoby, Ph.D.
Dean and CPA Manitoba Chair in Business Leadership
I.H. Asper School of Business

Stephanie Kalo, President
Commerce Students’ Association

Abhas Deodhiya and Tyler Phill, Co-Presidents
Asper MBA Student Association

Xinran Wang, President
Asper Master of Finance Association of Students

Zulfiquer Ali Haider, President
Asper MSc & PhD Student Association