Heller MBA goes to head of class in social responsibility

Heller MBA ranks highest of all Boston-area business schools in Beyond Grey Pinstripes’ Global 100

The Heller MBA at Brandeis University ranks in the top 20 in Beyond Grey Pinstripes’ just-out Global 100 rankings of business schools, celebrated today at an awards ceremony in New York City. The biennial rankings, carried out by the Aspen Institute's Business and Society Program, spotlight innovative full-time MBA programs that integrate social and environmental stewardship into business decisions.

“The Heller MBA is committed to educating the next generation of socially responsible leaders. These rankings show prospective students and employers which MBA programs are prepared to meet the growing demand,” said Jody Hoffer Gittell, Heller MBA Program Director.

At #19, Heller is the highest-ranked Boston-area MBA program in the survey. The others are Babson (#31), Simmons (#32), Boston College (#46), Boston University (#54), Bentley (#55) and MIT (#71).

The Heller MBA received particularly high marks in student exposure to social, environmental, and/or ethical issues, and for course content that illustrates the value of integrating social, environmental, and/or ethical considerations into business decisions.

“The next generation of leaders will need both sophisticated business skills and an understanding of how to integrate and use those skills to achieve social goals.  Only business schools that expand their focus beyond the single bottom line will be capable of producing these leaders,” said Gittell.

“We must also remember that the corporate sector cannot meet every need, even with socially responsible leaders,” Gittell continued. “We will continue to need innovative solutions from the non-profit sector, and we will continue to need the public sector to establish the ground rules for fair play through wise legislation and regulation. MBA programs can help by preparing socially responsible leaders to play a constructive role in all three sectors.”

The Heller MBA provides students with the skills necessary to lead organizations that are pursuing multiple bottom lines: meeting financial goals, fostering staff development, preserving the environment, and working to resolve society’s most challenging problems. The Heller School's high standards for management education and its history of excellent policy research and activism are important assets for people contemplating careers as leaders of organizations with a social mission.