SIUE’s Sierra Achieves Milestone as Minority Business Professor
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Gregory Sierra, associate professor of accounting in the SIUE School of Business, is one of only 52, male Hispanic-American accounting business school professors in the U.S. The SIU Board of Trustees approved Sierra’s promotion to associate professor of accounting with tenure at its May meeting on the Carbondale campus.
As the son of Cuban immigrants, the Belleville native pursued his higher education degree while participating in the PhD Project. According to the program, its vision is to diversify corporate America. It stresses that an increased number of minority business professors will attract more minority students to pursue a business degree.
“The PhD Project provided a culture of support that wasn’t available in any other setting,” said Sierra. “I’ve been involved since the start of my graduate program. It provided a network of people to be a sounding board, and it helped me plan long-term.”
The PhD Project maintains responsibility for an increase in the number of minority business professors, from 294 to 1,274, since the non-profit began in 1994. Sierra emphasizes that diversity and inclusion are vitally important in the accounting profession.
“As people of diverse backgrounds are added to the profession, more opportunities exist for better-utilizing accounting information and improving our financial system,” explained Sierra.
“As an educator at SIUE, I reach out to students and talk to them about their career plans, and make sure they’re not unnecessarily taking themselves out of contention for a career that would suit them. Underrepresented or not, many students do not understand the profession, and a large part of teaching happens outside the classroom.”
“Dr. Sierra has shown that he is an accomplished member of the SIUE faculty,” said John Navin, dean of the SIUE School of Business. “His record of scholarship and excellent teaching, along with his passion for classroom innovation, demonstrates his commitment to higher education.”
Now that he has achieved tenure, Sierra plans to continue his research and dedication to his teaching, while working toward attaining a full professor position. He intends to directly contribute to maintaining and enhancing the University’s excellent accounting program and School of Business.
“My personal beliefs align with what we do here at SIUE,” Sierra said. “My father’s opportunity to come to the U.S. was a result of education. I, and my family, believe that education is a great equalizer and value it highly. I am proud to be a part of a University that offers such incredible opportunities.”
Learn more about the PhD Project here.
