Dr. Jon C. Strauss, President of Bainbridge Graduate Institute

- November 11, 2008 - Bainbridge Graduate Institute (BGI) in Washington, which offers a unique MBA in Sustainable Business program, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Jon C. Strauss as President of the Institute.

Dr. Strauss comes to the Bainbridge Graduate Institute out of retirement as President Emeritus of Harvey Mudd College, a highly ranked liberal arts college of engineering, science and mathematics, where he served as its fourth president from 1997 to 2006. Dr Strauss brings an extensive background in academic leadership and management and he is an advocate of the benefits of a diverse and inclusive collegiate culture.

"As President of this unique school, I am excited to collaborate with the BGI community to move its mission forward so that we will continue to grow in numbers, diversity, and in the impact that our student leaders will have in the world," said President Strauss. "The need to create businesses, non-profits, and governmental agencies that are socially responsible and environmentally sustainable and that support the health and long-term needs of our global communities and our planet becomes more evident each day. BGI is in the forefront of educating leaders in sustainable business to do just that. And I am here to accelerate the process. As BGI moves through the accreditation process, I am confident that my experience in accreditation with institutions of higher learning will be of benefit."

Dr. Strauss' professional interests include organizational development and planning, modeling and performance enhancement, and sustainability and decentralized management in higher education. He was appointed to the National Science Board In 2004 where he has led two important task forces on international science and sustainable energy and chairs the Subcommittee on Polar Issues.

"BGI is honored to welcome Jon Strauss as its new President," said Chairman of the Board John Eisenhauer. "This marks a major step in BGI's emergence as a world-class and world-renowned school and in its mission of changing business for good. Jon's experience and past successes, and his enthusiasm for BGI's focus and potential, make him a fitting successor for our beloved founder, Gifford Pinchot."

BGI co-founder and President Emeritus Gifford Pinchot will work with President Strauss with a focus on teaching, speaking, and writing about sustainable business. According to Pinchot, "Jon Strauss is the perfect President for BGI for our next level of evolution and growth. He has a deep commitment to sustainability and his experience and credentials are outstanding. I am thrilled to be liberated to work on my new book and to research and explore new opportunities in sustainable business."

Prior to his appointment at Harvey Mudd College, Dr Strauss served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, Maryland. He is also President Emeritus of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, and he served as Senior Vice President of Administration at the University of Southern California where he also was a tenured professor of electrical engineering. He was Vice President for Budget and Finance at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and also served as a professor of computer science at that institution and at Washington University in St. Louis, the Technical University of Norway, and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Dr. Strauss has published and spoken widely, consulted for a wide variety of colleges, universities, and corporations, and served on the Boards of a number of corporations and professional and community organizations. He holds a Ph.D. in Systems and Communication Sciences from Carnegie Institute of Technology, a M.S. in Physics from the University of Pittsburgh, and a B.S.E.E. from the University of Wisconsin.

BGI is ranked #1 in several categories in Net Impact's "Business as Unusual 2008+ - A Student Guide to Graduate Business Programs and was selected by BusinessWeek last year as one of the top design and innovation schools in the world. BGI's enrollment has grown along with its reputation. In line with the continued growth and increased enrollment, Bainbridge Graduate Institute recently hired Dr. Chris Gilbert as Provost and Executive Vice President and Dr. Scott Schroeder as Dean of Faculty and Instruction and expanded its monthly residential program to two weekends a month.

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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