The Wisconsin School of Business full-time MBA program has been ranked 17th worldwide and 15th in the U.S. in the 2009-2010 Beyond Grey Pinstripes list of top 100 business schools for environmental, social and ethical management education. The Wisconsin MBA ranks 5th among U.S. public business programs and second in the Big Ten.

 The survey is conducted bi-annually by the Aspen Institute’s Center for Business Education, and is the only global ranking that evaluates MBA programs for their efforts to prepare students for the new business realities demanding social and environmental stewardship. In 2007, the Wisconsin MBA ranked 33rd in the world, and 24th in the U.S.

 “We take seriously our charge of preparing students with the fundamentals to be high-achieving and responsible future leaders,” said Mike Knetter, Albert O. Nicholas Dean of the Wisconsin School of Business. “If we are to be successful in this endeavor, we believe that students must understand how environmental and values-based leadership is integral to the long-term success of any business.”

 The Aspen Institute goes worldwide in its search for the top performing business schools and goes beyond the standard criteria for ranking business schools by including how well schools prepare their business students for the environmental, social and ethical complexities of modern-day business. This year, 149 business schools from 24 countries participated in the survey and 100 programs were ranked.

 Wisconsin was recognized for its dedication to integrating the concept of sustainability into existing courses, and developing new courses and programs that specifically address this issue.

 One of the most important recent additions to the Wisconsin School of Business is a graduate Certificate in Business, Environment and Social Responsibility in conjunction with UW-Madison’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. The certificate is designed to provide knowledge and skills to strategically apply business principles to environmental and social challenges, and to prepare students to systematically integrate sustainability issues into day-to-day management decision making.

 Inside the classroom, students find social and environmental responsibility woven throughout the Wisconsin MBA curriculum. Students are required to take an ethics course in their first year. Other sustainability-focused courses include Business and the Social Side of Sustainability, Triple Bottom Line Accounting and Environmental Strategy and Sustainability. Each of the 10 MBA career specializations has a rarified curriculum and a unique way of addressing corporate social responsibility. For example, Real Estate MBA students benefit from classes and conferences in green and sustainable development. Students in the Risk Management and Insurance specialization conduct various sustainability risk management projects with outside firms to identify key risks that organizations face, including reputational risks.

 Outside the classroom, students participate in the annual G. Steven Burrill Business Plan Competition, which now includes a $1,000 Nelson Institute Green Entrepreneurial Venture Recognition award for the best green venture.

 The school has also taken into consideration its surrounding environment. The $40.5 million, four-story addition to Grainger Hall that opened in 2008—home to the Wisconsin MBA—was built to meet or exceed LEED standards for green building.

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