Do paraprofessionals need to require degrees?

In June, women’s coworking company The Wing hosted an event in its newly reopened Bryant Park space. The “fireside chat” promised a conversation between The Wing’s recently appointed executive chairwoman, Sheila Lirio Marcelo, and Fortune 500 board member Shellye Archambeau about “the challenges for women—specifically women of color—in the tech industry” and how to “create a blueprint for personal and professional success,” per the email invite.  During the chat, the topic of college education came up—specifically, if degrees are needed for leadership positions. Archambeau and Marcelo, both Ivy League grads, agreed they’re still necessary; Archambeau said college degrees are especially critical for minority women seeking high-level corporate success.

​Why it matters: Their advice contrasts with a larger trend unfolding in corporate America: de-emphasizing college education.  As corporations began responding to last summer’s racial reckoning, bachelor’s-degree requirements have been a hot topic.  In 2019, 40% of white people over 25 had a bachelor’s degree, according to the US Census Bureau, compared with only 26% of Black people.  Zoom in: Diversity and inclusion experts who spoke with Marketing Brew told us that requiring a bachelor’s degree is exclusive in nature.  In practice Celestine Maddy, Pinterest’s global head of consumer and brand marketing, formerly held marketing VP roles at Reddit and Foursquare. But before joining Pinterest last year, she was The Wing’s lead marketer.  She worked her way up the corporate ladder without a bachelor’s degree.  And while all the turmoil inside The Wing spilled out into the public last year, Maddy departed after six months for Pinterest’s greener pastures.  In October, The Wing said it “rolled out extensive, inclusive hiring protocols to recruit and retain diverse talent.” Months later, while searching for Maddy’s replacement, it posted a job description that said a bachelor’s degree is “required” for the chief marketing officer role, while an MBA is a “plus.” The Wing has since hired Jen Cho—who holds multiple degrees, including a bachelor’s from Columbia University—to fill the role.  Just a piece of paper?  Both recruiters and people in high-level marketing roles without degrees themselves have seen that diplomas aren’t necessary for success in this industry. Further, some marketing professionals believe requiring them could actually inhibit a company’s diversity. Perri Grinberg, HR VP at creative agency RAPP, told us that requiring a bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience opens up the pool of talent to include those from all walks of life. Claude Silver, VaynerMedia’s chief people officer, said since her agency took away college degree requirements for US marketing roles about five years ago, she’s seen the diversity of VaynerMedia’s talent pool improve “by a million miles.”  Jack Appleby, a senior creative strategist at Twitch who does not have a bachelor’s degree, told us he believes degree requirements inhibit companies from getting the most diverse suite of candidates possible. “In a C-level role, a name-brand college shouldn’t matter. It should be about the experience you’ve had,” he said. Read the full piece here.—PB