The Rutgers University School of Business on Tuesday announced the launch of a new Center for Women in Business that will combine the power of academic research and the resources of a committed alumni network to make an impact on gender equity in the business world.

The center will work to influence change on problems such as the gender wage gap while also providing opportunities to empower working women and to develop female business leaders at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

“Study after study has demonstrated that women are not equally compensated or represented at any level of business,” Lisa Kaplowitz, a professor of professional practice in finance and the center’s founding director, said in a prepared statement. “We are really excited about the prospect of combining the talent of our alumni, faculty and students to remove barriers and empower women to lead in a continuously evolving workforce.”

The center will build on the existing efforts and organizations at Rutgers Business School and Rutgers University to reach more women – both students and alumnae – in bigger and bolder ways through mentoring, workshops, scholarships and conferences.

Sangeeta Rao, an assistant dean of mentoring at Rutgers Business School who took charge of an undergraduate program called Women BUILD (Business Undergraduates in Leadership Development) five years ago, has seen the power of the program to build skills and confidence in groups of young women who support one another and are cultivated by a larger community of professional women.

“We hope to build on the program’s success and extend its reach beyond undergraduates,” said Rao, who worked closely with Kaplowitz to create the center.

The underlying strength of the center is a thought leadership loop that encompasses alumni, corporations, faculty and students. Marketing professor Kristina Durante will lead research initiatives in an effort to promote gender equity, influence business practices and foster women’s leadership and entrepreneurship.

“The research will really form the foundational part of the center,” Durante said. “We need the research to build the knowledge that will be the basis of conferences and workshops and will guide best practices in the workplace.”

Some of the research topics Durante plans to examine include: How participation in youth sports influences women’s risk-taking and perseverance, how non-conscious biases lead to same gender favoritism in the workplace, and the critical role of male mentors in women’s business success.

The ambitious mission of the center has attracted strong support from Rutgers Business School Dean Lei Lei, faculty, and students as well as alumni and friends from across the region’s business community.

A 13-member advisory board, composed of alumni and other business professionals, will help guide the center’s efforts. One of its first events will be a women’s conference in the spring, but part of its mission is also to host workshops, mentoring programs, networking sessions and professional development programs.