IIT/Stuart School of Business MBA Program Recognized by Aspen Institute
Illinois Institute of Technology’s Stuart School of Business has demonstrated significant leadership in integrating social and environmental issues into its MBA program, according to the Aspen Institute’s 2007-2008 edition of Beyond Grey Pinstripes, a biennial survey and alternative ranking of business schools. Stuart is ranked 48th on the list of the Global Top 100 Schools.
“We’re delighted to be recognized by the Aspen Institute for our efforts in bringing these important issues to our students,” said Harvey Kahalas, Dean of the Stuart School of Business. “Interest and enrollment in these aspects of our MBA program have increased dramatically.”
In general, social and environmental issues have continued to grow in importance in the business school curriculum. However, the survey also revealed that the proportion of schools offering core courses to address these topics in terms of mainstream business remains low. Stuart is an exception as it has a specialty masters program in environmental management and sustainability from which it can draw courses for the MBA students.
“This year’s survey tells us that society and the environment are becoming significant issues on campus, not just for students, but in the Dean’s office and in many classrooms,” said Rich Leimsider, Director of the Aspen Institute Center for Business Education.
In addition to being recognized by the rankings, Stuart School of Business will be featured prominently on the www.BeyondGreyPinstripes.org website, and in the Aspen Institute’s “Alternative Guide to MBA Programs.”
“In the Beyond Grey Pinstripes survey, success is measured not by how much new MBA graduates earn or how many offers they get,” said Judith Samuelson, Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program, “but by how well prepared they are to guide a company through the complex relationship of business and society, where issues relating to the environment or the well-being of a community can impact a company’s performance and reputation.
“While graduate business schools are finding the ability to deal with such issues an increasingly important part of the training for successful business leaders, there is still room for innovation and improvement,” Samuelson added.
The Aspen Institute Center for Business Education, a program of The Aspen Institute Business and Society Program, compiled Beyond Grey Pinstripes, its biennial research survey and alternative ranking of business schools, looking at how well social and environmental issues are incorporated into the training of future business leaders.
Invitations to participate in the 2007 survey were sent out to 600+ internationally accredited business schools with in-person, full-time MBA programs. Over forty thousand pages of data were collected from 111 schools this year—71 institutions located in the U.S. and 40 international schools, representing 18 countries.
The Stuart School of Business at the Illinois Institute of Technology provides students an enhanced MBA curriculum that prepares them for managing in the “Next Economy”. The “Next Economy” is driven by globalization, demographics, technology and the environment. The program focuses in strategic competitiveness, which is best exemplified by the concepts of innovation, creativity, sustainability, leadership, and entrepreneurship.
The complete ranking of the Beyond Grey Pinstripes 2007-2008 “Global 100” business schools can be found at www.beyondgreypinstripes.org. For particular questions or issues related to social and environmental coursework and MBA education, contact the Aspen Institute Center for Business Education (www.AspenCBE.org)
The Aspen Institute Center for Business Education (Aspen CBE) seeks to create business leaders for the 21st century who are equipped with the vision and knowledge necessary to integrate corporate profitability with social value. To that end, it offers programs that provide business educators with the resources they need to incorporate issues of social and environmental stewardship into their teaching, research and curriculum development.
As part of the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program (Aspen BSP), Aspen CBE maintains close ties with over 100 MBA programs in 23 countries. Its websites draw over 75,000 visits monthly and its events and networks attract over 1,000 participants each year.
Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,300 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law. IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment. Visit www.iit.edu.
