The Aspen Institute Center for Business Education has ranked the Master of Business Administration program in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas in its 2009-2010 Beyond Grey Pinstripes/Global 100 List.

The Walton College was 91st on a list of 149 schools, which was compiled by the Institute "over the past eighteen months ... from 149 M.B.A. programs in 24 countries about the depth and scope of integration of social, environmental and ethical issues in business school education."

Beyond Pinstripes is a biennial survey and alternative ranking of business schools conducted by the institute, which undertook an effort to map the landscape of teaching and research issues pertaining to business and society.

Marion Dunagan, assistant dean for graduate programs in the Walton College Graduate School of Business, said, "We are very excited to be included in this international group. The Aspen '100' recognizes the schools that are best preparing the next generation of leaders to innovate at the intersection of corporate profits and social impacts."

Jon Johnson, executive director of the University of Arkansas Applied Sustainability Center, which is housed in the Walton College, will receive the award for the college at the Aspen Institute Center for Business Education celebration on Nov. 5-6 in New York City.

Alan Ellstand, director of the Walton College M.B.A. program, said, "To be ranked among M.B.A. programs around the globe is a great honor. Over 40,000 pages of data were analyzed to come up with the 100 top M.B.A. programs."

Judith Samuelson, executive director, Aspen Institute's Business and Society Program, said, "The best business students move quickly into the front ranks of business - and the attitudes and values they bring to the table are deeply influenced by their time in business education. Will they accept the status quo or act on their passion about the positive role business can play at the intersection of corporate profit and social impact? The schools that are competitive in the Beyond Grey Pinstripes ranking are the real trailblazers - they assure that students have the right skill as well as the will to make things happen."

The following are sample findings from the survey:

• The percentage of schools surveyed that require students to take a course dedicated to business and society issues has increased dramatically over time, but at a slowing rate: 34 percent in 2001; 45 percent in 2003; 54 percent in 2005; 63 percent in 2007; 69 percent in 2009.
• Since 2007, the number of elective courses offered per school that contain some degree of social, environmental or ethical content has increased by 12 percent, from approximately 16.6 to 18.6 electives.
• The proportion of schools offering general social, environmental or ethical content in required core courses has increased in many business disciplines - accounting, economics, finance, management, marketing, operations management - since the last survey in 2007.
• However, the percentage of schools requiring content in a core course on how mainstream business can act as an engine for social or environmental change remains low, at 30 percent.
• Approximately 7 percent of faculty at the surveyed business schools published scholarly articles in peer-reviewed, business journals that address social, environmental or ethical issues. The titles and abstracts of the 1,211 articles are available at www.BeyondGreyPinstripes.org.

School highlights from this Beyond Grey Pinstripes survey cycle are featured in a guidebook for prospective M.B.A. students, titled The Sustainable MBA, which is already available at Amazon.com and the Aspen Institute's publication Web site.

The Aspen Institute Center for Business Education equips business leaders for the 21st century with the vision and knowledge to integrate corporate profitability and social value. It helps business educators incorporate issues of social and environmental stewardship into teaching and research by offering targeted resources, networks and a platform to share cutting-edge practice among peers.

As part of the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program, the center maintains close ties with over 150 M.B.A. programs in 28 countries.

The Walton College Graduate School of Business offers M.B.A. programs on a full-time basis and for working professionals. It offers full-time and part-time programs for the Master of Information Systems. It also offers Master of Accountancy and Master of Arts as well as business doctoral programs.

Contact:
Marion Dunagan, assistant dean for Graduate Programs
Sam M. Walton College of Business
(479) 575-2996, mdunagan@walton.uark.edu

Alan Ellstrand, director, MBA Programs
Sam M. Walton College of Business
(479) 575-6145, aellstand@walton.uark.edu