Courtesy of University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
UAPB was one of five historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) participating in a second annual Leadership Exchange Program sponsored by Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) in May 2023. The University of Arkansas Pine Bluff (UAPB) group visited BMSâs Lawrenceville and New Brunswick, New Jersey sites. This yearâs Leadership Exchange Program included UAPB students in addition to UAPB faculty and staff. The Leadership Exchange Program is part of the BMS Tomorrowâs Innovators initiative, described on their site as an initiative that builds a sustainable bridge for diverse talent from HBCUs to the biopharma industry.
UAPB joined Howard University, North Carolina A&T, Morgan State University, and Florida A&M University at the Exchange. The UAPB group included faculty and staff members, Dr. Anissa Buckner, Dr. Tansesha Ford, Dr. Zeeshan Habeeb, Ms. Angelisa Henry, Mrs. Pamela Jenkins, and UAPB Spring 2023 juniors majoring in Biology or Business Administration. The UAPB students included business administration majors Tolliver Hunt, Delashay Lawrence, and Octavia Orr and biology majors Jasmin Preston and Saniya McCoy.
The program started with an evening of arrival âmeet and greetâ dinner meeting. The next day they included a trip to the BMS Lawrenceville Campus, where panel presentations covered topics on understanding the Biopharma industry and on discovering the BMS skill sets for now and the future. The panel discussions were moderated by the organizationâs Senior Director of Global Inclusion and Diversity and infused with activities that engaged students with attendees from the other universities in attendance and BMS professionals. The day concluded with a Career Showcase and Networking Event, where students talked and networked with the dayâs panelists. Dr. Tanesha Ford, UAPB Assistant Professor, School of Business and Management, said, âIt was great exposure for our students to engage with other students and faculty from the different universities. I enjoyed connecting with others and networking. The engagement that our students had was amazing. They asked questions and participated very well in the sessions.â
The final day of the Leadership Exchange included a trip to the BMS New Brunswick Campus to the Pharmaceutical Development Center, where the group heard from their Bio-Separation and Compendia Group and received information on what they would see on the lab tour. The final BMS destination was the New Brunswick-Princeton Pike location, where the HBCU groups heard from top BMS executives, covering areas such as Analytics, Business Insights, Corporate Tax, Global Internal Audit & Assurance, Treasury, Finance Operations, Business Process & Governance, World-wide and Corporate Marketing, Commercialization, and Pharmaceutical Patents. The session included an interactive breakout session on faculty and student hot topics.