Center for Social Value Creation  

Smith School Named to "Global 100" in Aspen Institute Ranking

The Smith School’s MBA program was recognized among the Top 100 in the world by the Aspen Institute in its biennial Beyond Grey Pinstripes ranking, released October 21, 2009. The rankings highlight MBA programs that demonstrate leadership in integrating social, environmental and ethical issues. The Smith School’s recently launched Center for Social Creation spearheads these efforts at Smith, providing hands-on learning opportunities, coursework, career opportunities and faculty research support.Beyond Grey Pinstripes

“We are thrilled to be included among a group of institutions that are thinking differently about business management education,” said Melissa Carrier, executive director of the Smith School’s Center for Social Value Creation.  “We continue to strive to embed the principles of responsible leadership into every facet of our students’ experiences here at Smith.”

Nearly 150 business schools from 24 countries participated in the 2009-2010 survey, which was designed to measure the ways in which schools are preparing their students for the environmental, social and ethical complexities of modern-day business. The Aspen Institute, an organization that champions values-based leadership, conducts the survey through its Center for Business Education as part of its mission to help business educators incorporate social and environmental stewardship into teaching and research.

“In these challenging economic times, the general public, not just scholars, are questioning whether the established models of business are broken,” said Rich Leimsider, Director of the Aspen Institute’s Center for Business Education.  “Beyond Grey Pinstripes schools are thoughtfully pursuing new approaches.  They are preparing students who take a more holistic view of business success, one that measures financial results as well as social and environmental impacts.”

More information on the survey, as well as the entire “Global 100” list of business schools, is available at www.beyondgreypinstripes.org.