In a new report released this month by The Aspen Institute and the World Resources Institute, the Yale School of Management (SOM) was honored for arming its graduate students with skills critical for effective leadership in a changing world.
SOM was one of six elite business schools designated a "School on the Cutting Edge" in "Beyond Grey Pinstripes 2003: Preparing MBA's for Social and Environmental Stewardship." According to the report, such cutting-edge schools are setting the bar for the infusion of environmental and social impact management into their M.B.A. coursework, extracurricular activities, institutional setting and research agenda.
"The mission of the Yale School of Management is to educate leaders for business and society. From our mission flows a commitment to prepare Yale M.B.A. students to lead in a world where social and environmental stewardship skills are just as important as management, financial or marketing skills," says Dean Jeffrey E. Garten. "We're pleased to be honored once again for our leadership in training M.B.A. students in environmental management, and to be recognized this year for our dedication to social innovation."
"In today's business climate, taking a leadership role on complex global issues reflects a commitment to expand the limits of current research and teaching," says Meghan Chapple, business education manager at the World Resources Institute. "Yale is one of only six schools that have reached a new frontier of innovation on social and environmental issues in business. This institution is forging a path for tomorrow's business education that will account for the relationship between business, society, and the environment."
According to the report, SOM's commitment to educate leaders across the public, private and non-profit sectors for business and society is evidenced in diverse ways inside and outside the classroom and in current faculty research. These include:
* Required and elective courses give students extensive exposure to social and environmental topics. In the M.B.A. core curriculum, for example, ethical considerations are integrated into courses on marketing, decision analysis and accounting. Electives like "Private Investment and the Environment," "Leadership in a Global Economy" and "Economics of Sustainable Development" help students build expertise in social impact and environmental management, notes the report.
* M.B.A. students wishing to specialize in these topics have a number of options including a joint degree program with the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.
* The Centers of Excellence -- including The Environment Management Center, The Program on Social Enterprise and The International Institute for Corporate Governance -- encourage innovations in teaching and scholarship.
* Yale students themselves take the lead in organizing speakers and conferences that explore topics from greenhouse gas emissions trading to governance and transparency.
* Faculty in diverse departments, including finance and economics, are publishing research that explores social impact and environmental management topics.
"As these activities and courses attest, at Yale SOM, students, faculty, administrators and alumni are engaged in a critical examination of the role business plays in the world," says Nancy McGaw, deputy director of the Business and Society Program at The Aspen Institute. "They are taking action to ensure that their M.B.A. students get the grounding they need in social and environmental issues to meet the tough challenges they will face in business."
The other schools recognized in Beyond Grey Pinstripes 2003 as schools with cutting-edge M.B.A. programs are (in alphabetical order): George Washington University's School of Business and Public Management, Washington, D.C.; University of Michigan Business School, Ann Arbor, Michigan; University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford, California; and York University's Schulich School of Business, Toronto, Canada.
"Beyond Grey Pinstripes 2003: Preparing MBAs for Social and Environmental Stewardship" is the fourth in a series of reports started in 1998. Its companion website, www.beyondgreypinstripes.org, is the only source for prospective M.B.A. students to access a global database of more than 1,000 courses and 800 extracurricular activities at 100 business schools.
World Resources Institute (www.wri.org) is an environmental think-tank that goes beyond research to find practical ways to protect the earth and improve people's lives. The Aspen Institute is an international non-profit organization dedicated to informed dialogue and inquiry on issues of global concern. Its Business and Society Program (www.aspenbsp.org) helps business executives integrate financial success and social and environmental progress.
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