PhD Project Celebrates ‘Hometown Hero’ Dr. Melvin Stith On Veterans Day

The PhD Project is celebrating this Veterans Day by honoring “hometown hero” Dr. Melvin Stith.

Dr. Stith is a founding member of the PhD Project, a national program with the goal of diversifying the business world. Dr. Stith has also spent his career helping other veterans make the difficult transition from military service to civilian life.

Following his graduation with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Norfolk State University in 1968, Dr. Stith served as a commissioned officer in the US Army’s Military Intelligence Corps in Vietnam. After returning home from the war, Stith earned his MBA and PhD from Syracuse University.

Dr. Stith went on to serve as the university’s Dean of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, and this year, he was awarded the Military and Veteran Award from Syracuse University. The award is the highest honor given to alumni who have served or are currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. The university shared the announcement on social media on Oct. 1.

“Congratulations to Melvin Stith, U S. Army veteran and Dean Emeritus of @WhitmanatSU on being Hometown Hero! @SyracuseU wouldn’t be the #bestplaceforveterans without you!”

Congratulations to Melvin Stith, U S. Army veteran and Dean Emeritus of @WhitmanatSU on being Hometown Hero! @SyracuseU wouldn't be the #bestplaceforveterans without you!https://t.co/kKC0nZTExE pic.twitter.com/j8gILsPsxo

— Syracuse University OVMA (@SyracuseOVMA) October 1, 2022

Syracuse University, with the help of Dr. Stith, became a leader in helping veterans transition to civilian life with its Office of Veterans and Military Affairs. The PhD Project was founded in 1994 and has increased the number of Black, Latinx and Native Americans earning business PhDs from 294 to 1,517. The program also has nearly 300 underrepresented minorities currently enrolled in doctoral programs.

“The idea was to remove all the barriers,” said Dr. Stith.

Prior to working at Syracuse University, Dr. Stith was an Assistant Professor of Business and an Associate Dean at the University of South Florida’s College of Business. Dr. Stith was also a visiting professor at the Florida A&M University School of Business and Industry and an Associate Professor of Marketing at Florida State University before being named Dean of the Business School and Jim Moran Professor of Business Administration. Dr. Stith retired in 2013 before returning as the interim president at Norfolk State University in 2017 until 2019.

Thank you for your service, Dr. Stith and Happy Veterans Day!