Aug. 18 /CSRwire/ - Bainbridge Graduate Institute (BGI) in Washington, the first graduate school in the U.S. to offer an MBA in Sustainable Business, announced Tuesday August 18, 2009 that they were awarded an initial grant of accreditation through December 31, 2012 for the MBA in Sustainable Business, Certificate in Sustainable Business and Certificate in Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Intrapreneurship from the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS).

President and co-founder, Gifford Pinchot, III remarked "We are deeply grateful to all the students, graduates, faculty and donors who had the courage to work for and study in and support a small, unaccredited school with the ambitious goal of transforming business in the direction of sustainability and social justice. Becoming accredited is a big step in the evolution and the growth of the school."

BGI was founded in 2002 as a non-profit independent school and is in its eighth year of delivering a pioneering curriculum in Sustainable Business that infuses environmental and social responsibility throughout every course. BGI's mission is to prepare students from diverse backgrounds to build enterprises that are financially successful, socially responsible and environmentally sustainable. BGI's hybrid delivery model of distance learning and weekend intensives is ideal for working individuals. BGI already has over 200 graduates creating change in the business world.

In a time of economic uncertainty and the immediate need to address issues of climate change, there has never been a more critical time to provide business education that emphasizes creative and innovative solutions that address social, environmental and fiscal responsibility than now. BGI is a leader in creating that education.

Ranked #1 in Net Impact's "Business as Unusual 2008" - A Student Guide to Graduate Business Programs and selected by BusinessWeek last year as one of the top design and innovation schools in the world, BGI’s enrollment has been growing along with its reputation.

ACICS, with offices in Washington, D.C., is the largest national accrediting organization of degree-granting institutions. ACICS reviews the institutional quality and integrity of more than 760 colleges and schools throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and seven foreign countries, including Saudi Arabia. ACICS accredited institutions serve nearly 600,000 students enrolled in professional, technical and occupational programs through the doctoral degree level, including programs offered via distance education. ACICS is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as a reliable authority on the quality of education provided by the colleges, universities and schools it accredits. ACICS will celebrate its Centennial anniversary in 2012.

The mission of Bainbridge Graduate School is to prepare students from diverse backgrounds to build enterprises that are financially successful, socially responsible and environmentally sustainable.

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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