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BusinessWeek Names Bainbridge Graduate Institute One of the Top Design and Innovation Schools in the World

BusinessWeek Names Bainbridge Graduate Institute One of the Top Design and Innovation Schools in the World

Published 10-31-07

Submitted by Bainbridge Graduate Institute

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, WA - October 30, 2007 - Bainbridge Graduate Institute (BGI) is one of only a handful of business schools chosen by BusinessWeek for its international list of Best Design Schools - schools emphasizing creativity, innovation and design as a strategic advantage.

"It might seem strange to see us ranked as a 'top design school,' by a business magazine," admits Pinchot, "But the days of thinking about design in narrow terms are over. Design-strategies emphasizing creativity and innovation are being used to solve complex business problems, create opportunities and to catalyze new products and increase productivity. Our growing concerns with sustainability are not going to be solved by Dilbert working alone in a cubicle, but by cross-functional teams who are encouraged to be inquisitive and to think up new ideas."

According to BusinessWeek, the list "highlights the growing role [the schools] play in supplying creative managers to corporate and nonprofit organizations." Top schools were initially chosen by a BusinessWeek panel of innovation consultants, academics and corporate executives based upon programs "they respect" and "graduates they hire." BusinessWeek then conducted interviews with professors, students and alumni to winnow the winners down to 60. The list includes programs in business, engineering, and design.

"This ranking gives us recognition for inspiring our students to think out of the box and for teaching the skills to make sustainability happen. And it gives our graduates recognition for living the solutions," says Gifford Pinchot, President of BGI.

The schools selected for the list have "Programs that enabled students to engage with the real world through sponsored projects and internships; that were tuned in to contemporary business issues, such as sustainability; and those whose graduates have proven themselves to be creative designers, strategists, and leaders." The global list includes Carnegie Mellon, Harvard, MIT, and Stanford as well as schools from Brazil, China, England, Italy, Japan, Sweden Taiwan and other countries.

BusinessWeek's full list of top schools can be seen here:
http://bwnt.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/talenthunt/index.asp?chan=innovation_special+report+--+d-schools_special+report+--+d-schools.

BusinessWeek’s profile of BGI alum, David Smith can be seen here:
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/oct2007/id2007104_718797.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_innovation+%2Bamp%3B+design.

BusinessWeek’s full article can be seen here:
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/oct2007/id2007104_575219.htm?chan=innovation_special+report+--+d-schools_special+report+--+d-schools.

BusinessWeek's methodology can be seen here:
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/oct2007/id2007101_960501.htm?chan=innovation_special+report+--+d-schools_special+report+--+d-schools.

About Bainbridge Graduate Institute

BGI was born five years ago 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 more than twelve-fold from 14 students in 2002 to over 175 in the fall of 2007. The MBA in Sustainable Business is a hybrid program combining 4-day weekend, once per month, 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 Entrepreneurship & Intrapreneurship are held weeknights in downtown Seattle and on weekends at Islandwood, respectively. The programs attract students from across the US and Canada.

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Bainbridge Graduate Institute

Bainbridge Graduate Institute

BGI was born when co-Founder and President, Gifford Pinchot, a renowned business consultant, realized 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.

The Institute's pioneering MBA and certificate programs prepare 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.

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