Aspen Institute names Clark MBA program to biennial list of top 100

Clark University’s Graduate School of Management (GSOM) has been included on a list of Top 100 MBA programs worldwide, compiled by The Aspen Institute for its biennial Beyond Grey Pinstripes survey. GSOM was selected for demonstrating significant leadership in integrating social, environmental and ethical issues into its program. The Beyond Grey Pinstripes survey is the result of 18 months of research into participating schools in 22 countries and looks at approximately 12,000 courses and faculty research abstracts, and 4,000 examples of institutional support such as extracurricular and joint degree opportunities). While many MBA rankings exist, this survey looks beyond reputation and test scores to measure how well schools are preparing their students for the environmental, social and ethical complexities of modern-day business. The dual-degree MBA/MA in Environmental Science and Policy, which combines MBA requirements with advanced coursework in International Development, Community and Environment, is just one offering that makes GSOM stand out among its peers. Recently named by Entrepreneur magazine and The Princeton Review as one of the top 16 schools for “green business,” this program at Clark focuses on topics such as environmental science, sustainable production and development, urban ecology, negotiation and mediation, and quantitative modeling. “We are honored and proud to be recognized as a global leader in organizational sustainability, ethics, and social responsibility education and research,” Interim Dean Joseph Sarkis said. “This recognition affirms Clark University and GSOM’s core values and ideals. We will continue to be leaders in responsible social change education at local and global levels. Our strategic efforts in education, research and community outreach on this socially important endeavor will not subside.” This year’s survey marked the first opportunity since the global economic downturn to comprehensively measure the extent to which MBA programs have altered the content of their courses, and whether faculty are pursuing research that questioned assumptions about the role of business in society. “In the wake of the financial crisis we’re seeing an increased willingness to address these issues,” said Judith Samuelson, executive director of the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program. “That willingness is coming from a variety of factors, including student demand, faculty readiness and a desire on the part of business schools to clarify what exactly they’re doing to prepare business leaders to serve the needs of society, such as job creation and energy conservation.” The Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program, along with its Center for Business Education, 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.