The greenest MBA: Social Enterprise (1/2)

Even business schools are going green. Sustainability, green tech, clean tech, triple-bottom line, bottom-of-the-pyramid and a host of other fashionable terms have been making their way into business school curriculums around the world. And it’s what students want:

According to a November 2008 Net Impact/Aspen Institute study, 78% of MBA students surveyed wanted more content and case studies related to sustainability and corporate responsibility integrated into the curriculum. Furthermore, in a 2008 Stanford Business School study of 759 graduating MBAs at 11 top business schools, corporate social responsibility ranked so high on their list of values that that the surveyed students  said they would be willing to accept a lower salary to work at a socially aware employer.

The environmental club Net Impact is one of the most active and popular clubs across business schools. Beyond Grey Pinstripes’ report is a sought-after information tool for MBA aspirants. Furthermore, the Aspen Institute, which published the Guide to Socially Responsible MBA Programs 2008-2009, showcases 111 schools from around the world with programs bringing social impact management into their MBA curriculums.  

New initiatives abound, and some new schools, for example, Presidio School of Management and the Bainbridge Institute are dedicated entirely to sustainability, offering, what they call, a “Green MBA”. Duquesne University launched a one-year MBA in sustainability, one of the few dedicated programs accredited by the U.S.’s premier accreditation body, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).  

The three profiles below showcase the areas where the school has demonstrated a unique strength in the category social enterprise, or the study of revenue-generating businesses for the public good.  This part features Columbia Business School; Cornell University, The Johnson School; Yale School of Management. Please note that within each category, the ranking is alphabetical.

Social Enterprise (Part 1/2)

Columbia Business School

As a result of a 2008 curriculum revamp to focus on the “Individual, Business and Society”, sustainability is fully incorporated throughout the entire MBA program at Columbia Business School. Signature courses related to sustainability include “Globalization and Markets: Reforming the International Economic Architecture”, taught by Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz and “The Private Sector and International Development.” The Social Enterprise Program includes study in public and non-profit management, international development, social entrepreneurship, and corporate social responsibility and sustainability. Students and faculty are actively engaged in social enterprise at CBS, either through a social enterprise area of focus, through a range of electives, or through extra-curricular activities such as a robust Social Enterprise Club. In addition to an annual conference and a Global Social Venture Competition, the club offers career guidance, alumni mentorship, study trips, speaker sessions, and even has a cool reading list on Amazon. Columbia is particularly strong in international development and offers opportunities for MBA students to advise global clients on actual problems of microfinance, health care and entrepreneurship. Other relevant programs include those sponsored by the Sanford C. Bernstein Center for Leadership and Ethics, and the Eugene Lang Center for Entrepreneurship.

Cornell University, The Johnson School

In November 2009 Cornell’s Johnson School will be able to showcase its commitment to sustainability by hosting the annual Net Impact conference – a watershed event with over 200 speakers and workshops. The Johnson School is committed to social enterprise, which, in the school’s view, considers “social and environmental challenges as unmet market needs that can be met with business solutions.” The Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise (SGE) focuses on sustainable innovation and base-of-the-pyramid enterprise development. Students can participate in an SGE Immersion – an optional fieldwork-related selection within the first-year curriculum. Elective courses include “Global Corporate Social Responsibility” and “Sustainability as a Driver for Innovation in the Entrepreneurial Organization.” S.C. Johnson  Professor Stuart Hart, an Aspen Institute Faculty Pioneer, co-authored the groundbreaking article “The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid” and, according to Net Impact, “students have access to him on a regular basis.” The Johnson School allows its students to take up to 25% of their coursework throughout Cornell’s nine colleges, giving them access to courses in sustainable agriculture, ecology, renewable energy, green building, public affairs, and international development. The Park Leadership Fellowship program offers full-tuition scholarships to emerging leaders who have a commitment to social responsibility.

Yale University School of Management

The Yale School of Management has been at the forefront of merging public interest with private enterprise since its founding in 1976. The current MBA degree was originally titled the Master of Public and Private Management, and changed officially in 2000 to the MBA. Yale’s robust Program for Social Enterprise (PSE) is the umbrella organization for research, conferences, and course design. Courses include “Managing Social Enterprises in Developing Countries,” “Microfinance and Economic Development”, and “Philanthropic Foundations”  The multidisciplinary offerings within the entire university allow students to take further courses, such as one through the Divinity School, called “Faith and Globalization.” Several core required courses, such as “State and Society” focus on the role of business and market and non-market constituencies.  Students who concentrate or go on to work in non-profit management may qualify for one of the most generous loan-forgiveness programs available. Additionally, the Center for Business and the Environment, a joint program between the SOM and the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, offers a joint MBA with a Masters in Environmental Management. Additionally, the Millstein Center for Corporate Governance and Performance offers courses, interdisciplinary activities, and sponsors research on governance and stakeholder interface.

Betsy Massar is Founder and CEO of Master Admissions. A graduate of Vassar College and Harvard Business School, she spent the majority of her extensive career as an investment professional and financial journalist on Wall Street, in Asia and Silicon Valley. Betsy has been helping candidates in their applications to business school since she was in her second year at Harvard. She is an ESL tutor and a lifetime member of the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents Club.

• Cornell University - S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management
  Full-Time MBA, Executive MBA
• Yale School of Management
  Full-Time MBA