5.06.2003 ET

(CSRwire) San Francisco, CA— Presidio World College, an affiliate of Alliant International University, announces a new MBA program designed to prepare professionals to position their organizations as leaders in the practice of Sustainable Management. While recent corporate accounting scandals have led many business schools and traditional MBA programs to offer individual courses on business ethics or corporate social responsibility, this cutting-edge program engages faculty and students in the process of improving economic profit by incorporating positive social and environmental business practices as drivers for bottom-line growth.

Throughout the two-year program, students learn how to integrate ethical, social, and environmental values with decision-making skills in business. Students are taught basic business skills such as managerial accounting, finance, and operations, with special attention paid to companies who are implementing sustainability initiatives in their organizations. In addition, less traditional but increasingly important classes in “The Principles of Sustainable Management” and “Culture, Values and Ethics in Global Society” are also required.

“We developed this program for individuals that understand the role business can and should play in improving the world,” says Steven Swig, Presidio World College President. “There is growing demand for business leaders to focus on the link between social, environmental and economic returns, and Presidio World College is poised to give business leaders the tools they need to succeed.”

The corporate social responsibility movement is growing rapidly at top universities across the country. The Haas School of Business at U.C. Berkeley has created the Center for Responsible Business, Stanford Business School has the Center for Social Innovation, and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth has just begun the Initiative for Corporate Citizenship. In addition to administrative initiatives, student-led Net-Impact, a non-profit organization for MBA students dedicated to using the power of business to improve the world, has grown to over 5000 members with chapters in 75 leading business schools.

While ethics classes are increasingly required in business schools, few tend to incorporate corporate responsibility as an integral part of business education. “In doing our research we found that business school classes focused on sustainability, ethics or corporate social responsibility were very popular and even had waiting lists in some cases, “ says Doug Paxton, Program Director for Presidio World College. “We wanted to create a program that met the overwhelming student demand for these types of classes while providing students with the leadership skills necessary to implement change.”

Presidio World College’s distinctive program is designed for working professionals dedicated to creating positive social change. The program combines the effectiveness of face-to-face learning with the convenience and efficiency of distance learning. Beginning this fall, the first cohort of 22 students will meet five weekends per semester with mandatory online classes in-between sessions. The program cost is competitively priced at $16,800 per year, with students in the pilot class receiving $2000 pioneer grants. Federal financial aid is also available.

"Our future depends on changing how we do business, and sustainability MBA programs like the one Presidio World College offers gets straight to the core,” says Hunter Lovins, co-author of Natural Capitalism.

For more information or admissions questions regarding Presidio World College's MBA program in Sustainable Management, please visit www.presidioworldcollege.org or call (415) 561-6590.

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