Leveling the Field for Women in Business

The Valparaiso University College of Business is proud to announce a new, student-driven initiative that seeks to educate and enable its female students to thrive in the professional world: the Society of Women in Business.

Allison Plachta ’24 (left) and Sarah Esterby ’24 (right) are the student co-founders responsible for bringing the group to campus.

“I felt that women were underrepresented in the College of Business. We saw that the engineering school had a similar organization,” Sarah says. “This organization can bring us together.”

Michelle Van Solt, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing and faculty advisor for the Society of Women in Business, believes that the organization will have a profound impact on its members.

“We are preparing students to thrive in the business world, but the reality is that we still see a great deal of gender inequality in the workplace particularly at executive positions,” Professor Van Solt says. “I believe this organization can prepare and empower female students to thrive in a business setting and give them tools that can help them start their careers with their best foot forward.”

The Society for Women in Business is for any student majoring or minoring in programs with the College of Business. Allison says the organization will strive to help these students create a level playing field with their male counterparts, providing knowledge and tools specific to women in the business world that other resources may not think to cover.

“For example: email writing. For women it has to be more of a ‘tell, don’t ask’ mindset,” Allison says. “Those are the kinds of skills that tend to make a big difference when you’re a woman in the corporate world.”

Allison and Sarah say the Society of Women in Business intends to meet every other week and hopes to bring in guest speakers already established in the field to share their skills and experiences with the business professionals of tomorrow. They also plan to facilitate workshops and social events.

Any business major or minor looking for more information, or who are interested in joining the Society, can contact sarah.esterby@valpo.edu, allison.plachta@valpo.edu, or michelle.vansolt@valpo.edu.

The Society of Women in Business is just one of the many student organizations at Valpo’s College of Business. Other activities available to students in the College include the Dean’s Leadership Council; Financial Management Association, a global network of finance professionals, practitioners, and students; the business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi; and the Futures Business Leaders of America, Phi Beta Lambda. All of these programs are designed to enhance students’ educational and professional development, as well as helping them forge meaningful connections within their field.