10.06.2008 - 04:41pm ET

(CSRwire) BAINBRIDGE ISLAND,WA. - October 6, 2008 - Bainbridge Graduate Institute ranks #1 in sustainable business education according to Net Impact's Business as Unusual: The 2008 Student Guide to Graduate Business Programs.

BGI took first place in 5 of the 13 categories, including #1 in preparation for ethical and socially responsible leadership, and was among the top five schools in 10 of the 13 questions. Additional highly ranked schools include Antioch New England, Cornell, Duke, Notre Dame and others, however, no other business school received more than 2 first place scores.

"The rankings are great," says Dr. Chris Gilbert, BGI Provost and Executive Vice President, "but what's even better are the great things that our students and graduates are doing to make business more responsible. The current events we're all facing right now in the credit markets are hard proof that we need a new generation of business leaders who are not only bottom line accountable, but ethically accountable. And ethics is not about information it's about transformation and so is BGI."

Net Impact is an international organization of more than 10,000 business leaders, experts, entrepreneurs and students committed to using business to make a positive impact on our world. Students at each of 63 business schools, including 15 of the top 20 business schools as ranked by the Wall Street Journal, were surveyed on 13 questions.

Net Impact's, Business as Unusual The 2008 Student Guide to Graduate Business Programs can be downloaded for free at: www.netimpact.org


About Bainbridge Graduate Institute

BGI was born in 2002 when Co-Founder and President, Gifford Pinchot, a renowned business consultant, realized that the nation's graduate business schools were churning out one-dimensional MBA graduates with solid short-term profit-maximization skills, but lacking a deep understanding of how to integrate social and environmental issues into business decisions.

"As business leaders become more dominant in shaping our society and as business has increasing impact on climate and planetary life support systems, it is deeply important that business leaders take a broader view of their responsibilities," Pinchot says.

The Institute's pioneering MBA in Sustainable Business prepares a diverse group of leaders to build enterprises that are economically successful, socially responsible and environmentally sustainable. The innovative curriculum preserves the rigor of a traditional MBA program, while infusing sustainability—including both environmental and social responsibility—throughout every course.

Enrollments in BGI's programs have increased dramatically from 14 students in 2002 to almost 210 in the fall of 2008. The MBA in Sustainable Business is a hybrid program combining 4-day weekend residentials with long distance web-based learning. Most BGI students work full time. MBA classes are held at Islandwood on Bainbridge Island, Washington, just outside of Seattle. BGI’s certificate classes in Sustainable Business and in Sustainable Entrepreneurship & Intrapreneurship are held in downtown Seattle. The programs attract students from across the US and Canada.



Let's Change Business for Good

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