Back in August I wrote an article wondering if we were Greenwashing our MBAs. Elaine Cohen, whose work inspired the article, wrote an astute response to my post stating, “The real change will come when businesses demand that MBA grads have sustainability knowledge as part of their basic education – it has to be a pull from biz rather than a push from young activists or intelligent academics.” Are we seeing the tide shift? I was elated to see that BNY Mellon was donating $1 million for Corporate Social Responsibility Programs and Education at the University of Pittsburgh. Will this trend continue where companies are asking MBA programs to develop skills in CSR, SRI and sustainability?
According to the CSRwire press release, BNY Mellon’s $1 million grant will fund student fellowships, faculty research fellowships, and annual CSR forums and case-study competitions through the University’s David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership, part of the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration. CSRwire quotes Vincent V. Sands, chairman of BNY Mellon of Pennsylvania, as saying: “Our commitment to the University of Pittsburgh will support groundbreaking research and help students integrate socially responsible principles into their leadership training. By developing a keen understanding of corporate social responsibility, they will be better prepared for the leadership opportunities of tomorrow.”
Although it is only one business-lead, CSR-focused academic partnership, I hope others will follow BNY Mellon’s lead and encourage MBA Programs to focus on CSR, sustainability and responsible leadership.
Do you know of any other business-academic partnerships in the CSR, SRI or sustainability fields? Post them here in comments! I would love to find out more.
Image Credit: Rastoder via Flickr under CC license.
maybe bayer corp . h,q. in pittsburgh , they should be into c.s.r.
That’s great. I only hope you folks on I.E. and other who have “unofficially” been practicing CSR/Business don’t get shoved aside when the new grads with their official diplomas that say “CSR” come out. You guys should be their mentors (and bosses!).