Beet Week

two JHU Carey Business School students waving pom poms standing in front of balloons some shaped in word BEET WEEK

Celebrate Beet Week!

Beet Week brings together the Carey community to celebrate graduating students’ transition to alumni status and honor the philanthropic legacy of William P. Carey. Students, alumni, faculty, and staff are invited to exciting events all week long. See the full schedule of events.


Check out the all the fun from Beet Week 2023!

Make a gift

Start your philanthropic journey today and receive an exclusive Carey Business School thank you gift!*

*Items available, while supplies last. Please Note: The size medium will be in navy blue instead of the royal blue pictured.

hat and shirt

“Beet Week is a great way to learn about what philanthropy means at Carey, what it means in your own life, and how giving back has many positive impacts across all facets of your life and career."

Katherine Pinkard, MBA '14

“I really enjoyed my experience at Carey and I loved to participate at different activities like Beet Week. I always felt thankful to everyone I met at Carey, they're all very warm and helpful to me. That's why I'd like to give back to help to build a even better community.”

Jing (Emma) Liang, MS in Finance '18, MS in Information Systems '19


Show your spirit!

Custom Beet Week Zoom backgrounds are available for download.

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Behind the beet

The simple sugar beet is a profound metaphor of Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and its benefactor, William P. Carey’s commitment to advancing society. In the 1940s and 1950s, Colorado and Kansas farmers grew sugar beets for the National Sugar Manufacturing Company. William P. Carey’s family was a minority stockholder in the company for decades. Due to global price wars, the company was forced to liquidate in 1966, leaving farmers to absorb their losses.

At the time, a young Carey, whose $50 million gift would later establish Johns Hopkins Carey Business School in 2007, was not in a financial position to aid the farmers, but he never forgot their plight. Although not legally responsible for the debts, he pledged to make the situation whole.

Twenty years later, after contacting every one of the 80 farming families involved, William P. Carey repaid the $250,000 debt in full. Responsibility. Integrity. Dedication. Humanity. These are the cornerstones of Beet Week as embodied by the actions of our benefactor and the mission of Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.


Sign up to be a Beet Week ambassador!

Contribute your own ideas for activities and to be the first to learn about scheduled events.  Email us at Carey.Alumni@jhu.edu if you are interested.