The School of Business Administration's MBA program was ranked among the nation's best for integrating social, environmental and ethical issues in the Aspen Institute's 2009-2010 edition of Beyond Grey Pinstripes, a biennial survey and alternative ranking of business schools.

The Aspen Institute, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering enlightened leadership and open-minded dialogue, ranked UVM 69th among its top 100 business schools — an improvement of nine places over its 2007 ranking. The university received its highest ranking in the faculty research category where it finished 47th for placing nine articles in peer reviewed business journals that address social, environmental and ethical issues, including three by Assistant Professor David Jones in the Journal of Organizational Behavior..

"The School of Business Administration is very pleased to be honored in this year's edition of Beyond Grey Pinstripes," said Larry Shirland, interim dean of the business school. "It represents a significant achievement for our faculty, staff and students, and it significantly contributes to the University of Vermont's goal of maintaining a national leadership role for issues relating to the environment."

The rankings, compiled by 12 doctorate research fellows and Aspen Institute staff, are based on data provided by participating institutions that were placed in four scoring metrics: availability of relevant courses; relevant courses on for-profit impact; faculty research; and student exposure.

UVM received its second-best ranking (51st) in the relevant courses on for-profit impact category, which awards points for courses that specifically address "the intersection of social and environmental issues in mainstream, for-profit business" and discuss how business can be an engine for improving social and environmental conditions. Two UVM courses made the list: "Sustainable Business: Practices in Support of People Profits and Principles" and "Collaborative Management Institute: Leading Through Partnerships."

In the 2007 rankings, UVM was cited for its Vermont Family Business Initiative and the MBA program's relationship to the UVM Gund Institute for Ecological Economics. Two courses, "Environment and Sustainable Business" and "Fundamentals of the Legal Environment of Business," were also praised.

The Aspen Institute's rankings go beyond reputation and test scores to measure how well schools are preparing students for the environmental, social and ethical complexities of modern-day business. Rankings were based on input from 149 business schools from 24 countries that participated in the 18-month effort to map the landscape of teaching and research on issues pertaining to business and society. Relevant data collected in the survey, as well as the entire "Global 100" list of business schools, is available at BeyondGreyPinstripes.org.

"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," said Judith Samuelson, executive director of the Aspen Institute's Business and Society Program. "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."

School highlights from this Beyond Grey Pinstripes survey cycle are featured in a new guidebook for prospective MBA students, titled The Sustainable MBA, which is available from Amazon.com or the Aspen Institute website.