Dr. Peter Senge, who has been named one of the top 20 most influential business thinkers by the Wall Street Journal and a top 10 management guru by Business Week, will keynote the fifth annual Beard Institute symposium, Sustainable Business: Responsibilities & Results, on Thursday, Nov. 10.

The Beard Institute, the outreach center of Duquesne University’s Palumbo-Donahue School of Business, will host the event at the Fairmont Hotel in Pittsburgh from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  

“At Duquesne, our definition of sustainability includes environmental stewardship, ethical management practices, responsible financial management and community engagement,” said Jim Byrne, executive director of The Beard Institute. “We host the symposium every year to educate the business community about the vital importance of sustainable business practices.”

In academic and business circles, Senge is known for applying his organizational systems thinking to sustainability in his noted book, The Necessary Revolution (2008). He is the author of the widely acclaimed book, The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization (1990, revised edition published 2006), and serves as a senior lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Senge also is the founding chair of the Society for Organizational Learning, a global community of corporations, researchers and consultants and has lectured extensively throughout the world, translating the abstract ideas of systems theory into tools for better understanding of economic and organizational change.

Besides Senge’s morning keynote, the symposium also will feature:

• Ted Senko, CPA, global chief executive, climate change and sustainability services, KPMG
• Chris Park, principal of sustainability, energy and environment practice, Deloitte
• Zoe Tcholak-Antitch, director, North America, Carbon Disclosure Project
• Jean Sweeney, vice president of environmental, health and safety operations, 3M

During the luncheon, 3M will be recognized as the winner of the Beard Institute’s 2011 Green to Gold award. The award recognizes an American company that demonstrates commercial success in sustainable business practices; the other 2011 nominees included Colgate-Palmolive, JC Penney, Target and Entergy.

For more information about the symposium, visit the website www.duq.edu/beard-symposium.

The Beard Institute

The Beard Institute, as a part of the Palumbo-Donahue School of Business at Duquesne University, advances the profession of management through the integration of three established disciplines: business ethics, sustainability and responsible financial management. The Beard Institute collaborates with corporate, nonprofit and academic partners to create innovative research and practical strategies that add measurable value to the business community.

Duquesne University

Founded in 1878, Duquesne is consistently ranked among the nation's top Catholic universities for its award-winning faculty and tradition of academic excellence. The University is nationally ranked by U.S. News and World Report and the Princeton Review for its rich academic programs in 10 schools of study for 10,000-plus graduate and undergraduate students, and by the Washington Monthly for service and contributing to students' social mobility. Duquesne is a member of the U.S. President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction for its contributions to Pittsburgh and communities around the globe. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Princeton Review's Guide to Green Colleges acknowledge Duquesne's commitment to sustainability.

Duquesne University, Palumbo-Donahue School of Business

Duquesne University, Palumbo-Donahue School of Business

"Business from a higher perspective" is a way of thinking at Duquesne University's Palumbo-Donahue School of Business. It's beyond reacting to trends in education that come and go with the latest headlines. It's a vision of ethical leadership rooted in the founding mission that began in 1913.

As the complexities of a global economy continue to deepen, widen and accelerate at the speed of life, more than ever, a company's success depends on management professionals educated in business from a higher perspective. The Palumbo-Donahue School of Business teaches students that the bottom line is affected by the way an organization treats the environment, community and society as a whole.

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