Bainbridge Island (WA). - December 11, 2008 - Bainbridge Graduate Institute has signed on as a participant to the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) initiative to inspire and champion responsible management education, research and thought leadership globally.

The PRME, which are inspired by internationally accepted values such as the principles of the United Nations Global Compact, were developed in 2007 by an international task force of sixty deans, university presidents and official representatives of leading business schools and academic institutions including Net Impact and the Aspen Institute's Business and Society Program. They provide a framework for academic institutions to advance the broader cause of corporate social responsibility and incorporate universal values into curricula and research. They seek to establish a process of continuous improvement among institutions of management education in order to develop a new generation of business leaders capable of managing the complex challenges faced by business and society in the 21st century.

The hallmark of the Bainbridge Graduate Institute program is the infusion of sustainability principles emphasizing social and environmental responsibility into every single course, including the MBA core. Our goal is to produce graduates who will lead their organizations to a more sustainable future. As such, our mission and vision support the PRME initiative. The PRME are a timely global call for all business schools and universities worldwide to gradually adapt their curricula, research, teaching methodologies and institutional strategies to the new business challenges and opportunities.

The Principles for Responsible Management Education
"As institutions of higher learning involved in the education of current and future managers, we are voluntarily committed to engaging in a continuous process of improvement of the following Principles, reporting on progress to all our stakeholders and exchanging effective practices with other academic institutions.

Principle 1 Purpose: We will develop the capabilities of students to be future generators of sustainable value for business and society at large and to work for an inclusive and sustainable global economy.

Principle 2 Values: We will incorporate into our academic activities and curricula the values of global social responsibility as portrayed in international initiatives such as the United Nations Global Compact.

Principle 3 Method: We will create educational frameworks, materials, processes and environments that enable effective learning experiences for responsible leadership.

Principle 4 Research: We will engage in conceptual and empirical research that advances our understanding about the role, dynamics, and impact of corporations in the creation of sustainable social, environmental and economic value.

Principle 5 Partnership: We will interact with managers of business corporations to extend our knowledge of their challenges in meeting social and environmental responsibilities and to explore jointly effective approaches to meeting these challenges.

Principle 6 Dialogue: We will facilitate and support dialog and debate among educators, business, government, consumers, media, civil society organizations and other interested groups and stakeholders on critical issues related to global social responsibility and sustainability.

We understand that our own organizational practices should serve as example of the values and attitudes we convey to our students."

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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