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Valuing Diversity PhD Scholarship

Valuing Diversity PhD Scholarship

Valuing Diversity PhD

In partnership with the PhD Project and the AMA Academic Council, the Valuing Diversity PhD Scholarship seeks to widen opportunities for underrepresented populations to attend marketing doctoral programs.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​


Eligibility

Past applicants are strongly encouraged to reapply. All applicants must meet the following requirements:

  • They must be from one of the following populations: African American, Hispanic American, or Native American.
  • They must be a U.S. citizen or a permanent U.S. resident.
  • They must be enrolled in a full-time AACSB accredited marketing doctoral program, or an advertising doctoral program, and have successfully completed at least one year.
  • They have not previously received a Valuing Diversity Scholarship.​

Application Process

Applicants will be evaluated based on the following:

  • Two letters of recommendation (these letters should speak to the candidate’s academic work or initiatives that demonstrate a commitment to advancing diversity):
    • One from the applicant’s advisor or Doctoral Program Coordinator, and
  • An essay explaining how receiving a Valuing Diversity Scholarship will help you further your research efforts. Your essay also should address one of the following:
    • How your dissertation research incorporates conceptual, design, or methods issues related to diversity.
    • How your dissertation research contributes to advancing the field of marketing.
    • How your dissertation research incorporates any innovative theories or advanced, cutting-edge designs, methods, or approaches.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Essays must be in Microsoft Word format. Essays should be two-pages, double-spaced, in 12 pt. type (approximately 500 words.) Sources you mention in your essay should be supplied on an additional page and do not count against the two-page maximum.


2023 Winners

Erika Zuloaga Cosme, University of Texas at San Antonio
Davon Holmes, Georgia State University
Priscilla Peña, University of Rhode Island

2022 Winners

Andre Martin, Kenan-Flagler Business School, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Jazmin Henry, Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine
Khalia Jenkins, University of South Florida
Tracy Khan, University of Rhode Island, College of Business

2021 Winners

Shawn Enriques, University of Wyoming
Nicole Ann Davis, University of Georgia

2020 Winners

Wendy De La Rosa, Stanford University
Samantha Galvan, The University of Texas at San Antonio
Jen Riley, Kennesaw State University – Coles College of Business

2019 Winners

Veronica Martin Ruiz, Iowa State University
Patricia T. Gouveria, Florida International University
Alejandra Rodriguez, Oklahoma State University


History

The American Marketing Association Foundation (AMAF), in conjunction with the AMA Academic Council, established a scholarship program in 2003 focused on creating scholarship funds for populations underrepresented in the marketing profession.

The number of African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans pursuing doctoral degrees in marketing is too low to reach a future goal of increased diversity in the marketing profession in both academic and corporate settings. For example, during the period from 1983-2005, of the 2,999 total earned doctoral degrees in marketing, only 151, or 5%, of those earned were by underrepresented populations (86 by African Americans, 49 by Hispanics, and 16 by Native Americans.) For many of the years during this period, there was just a handful of each of these underrepresented populations earning a doctoral degree in marketing, and for several years there were none for some of the groups. Although there has been improvement in these numbers over the past several years, there is still much work to be done in order to meet our goal of a more diverse marketing profession.

Through its Valuing Diversity PhD Scholarship Program, the AMAF seeks to widen the opportunities for underrepresented populations to attend marketing doctoral programs. In 2003, the Foundation awarded its first two scholarships under the Valuing Diversity PhD Scholarship Program. For the academic year, several $1,000- $2,500 scholarships will be granted to students currently enrolled in PhD programs. The scholarships are funded by the donors of the AMAF’s Valuing Diversity Fund and gifts from Sage Publishing.


Judging Process

An AMA Academic Communities team member will organize a selection committee that may consist of PhD Project alumni, past scholarship recipients, AMAF members, AMA Academic Council members, and/or at-large marketing faculty. The committee will evaluate each submission and determine the recipients of the scholarship.


Recognition and Benefits

The scholarships will be presented at the PhD Project dinner held in conjunction with the AMA Summer Academic Conference.


AMA Foundation

As the philanthropic arm of the AMA, the AMA Foundation champions individual marketers who are making an impact in our profession and community.  We recognize marketing visionaries who have elevated the field, and we support the next generation of marketers who will transform the profession.

Please contact foundation@ama.org with any questions.