Business Schools Awarded for Environmental, Social Focus

The World Resources Institute and the Aspen Institute have awarded 17 U.S. business schools for their focus on environmental and social issues. The first-ever awards were presented Oct. 7 at the Citigroup headquarters in New York. Schools distinguished themselves by incorporating social and environmental topics into coursework and projects, and supporting student activities and faculty research that filters into classroom materials and corporate decision-making models. Among the winning schools that incorporate societal-business issues: Harvard University, Michigan Business School, Northwestern University (Kellogg), University of Pennsylvania (Wharton), and Stanford University's School of Business. Winners incorporating environment-business issues included: Cornell University (Johnson), Tulane University (Freeman), University of Texas at Austin, and Vanderbilt University (Owen). The winners were identified through a survey of 313 business schools. The survey found that less than 20% of the schools are training MBA candidates to manage the social and environmental challenges facing business.