Publications
Publications
- June 2021
- HBS Case Collection
Linda Oubré at Whittier College
By: Debora L. Spar and Haley P. Brown
Abstract
The case follows President Linda Oubré (HBS MBA Class of 1984) as she seeks to move Whittier College towards a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive campus.
In 2020, the student body of Whittier, a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles County, California, is slowly evolving to represent the growing diversity of the surrounding area. Roughly 70 percent of Whittier students are non-white, and 59 percent are female. The college’s leadership, however, remains largely white and male. Oubré, who had spent most of her previous career in business, was selected as the college’s president in 2018—the first black woman to serve in that role. Almost immediately upon stepping into the role, Oubré set her sights on diversifying the college’s staff, administration, and board of trustees; in 2020, the racial reckoning that swept across the United States only heightened the urgency of her task. Oubré knows that sweeping change is needed at Whittier. But change, of course, is hard. How can she continue to push for diversity among faculty, staff, board members, and students? And how can she galvanize support among all of the college’s many constituents?
In 2020, the student body of Whittier, a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles County, California, is slowly evolving to represent the growing diversity of the surrounding area. Roughly 70 percent of Whittier students are non-white, and 59 percent are female. The college’s leadership, however, remains largely white and male. Oubré, who had spent most of her previous career in business, was selected as the college’s president in 2018—the first black woman to serve in that role. Almost immediately upon stepping into the role, Oubré set her sights on diversifying the college’s staff, administration, and board of trustees; in 2020, the racial reckoning that swept across the United States only heightened the urgency of her task. Oubré knows that sweeping change is needed at Whittier. But change, of course, is hard. How can she continue to push for diversity among faculty, staff, board members, and students? And how can she galvanize support among all of the college’s many constituents?
Keywords
Race And Ethnicity; Women And Leadership; Education; Higher Education; Diversity; Race; Leadership; Change Management; United States; California; Los Angeles
Citation
Spar, Debora L., and Haley P. Brown. "Linda Oubré at Whittier College." Harvard Business School Case 721-057, June 2021.