Sustainable Education Savvy business schools offer courses in sustainability to help graduates break into this expanding market. By Holly O Dell T 114 March 2010 deltaskymag.com pg 105-119.indd 10 The topic of sustainability is a growing priority within the corporate sector. Organizations large and small are addressing sustainability a business method that integrates social, environmental and nancial considerations. They re doing so for two reasons: They want to remain competitive in this expanding market, and they view it as the right thing to do. We ve moved well beyond the case for sustainable management in business, says Nicola Acutt, associate dean of programs at the Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco. Companies get the concept now, and the question has shifted from Why should we do it? to How should we do it? To answer that question, business schools throughout the United States have introduced innovative programs and learning opportunities. We try to teach students that sustainability o ers an opportunity to develop forward-looking business models, products and strategies that will enhance and balance that triple bottom line of ecological integrity, economic vitality and social equity, says Jessica Thomas, managing director of the Center for Sustainable Enterprise at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School in Chapel Hill. As knowledge of sustainability grows among enterprises, so does the demand for quali ed professionals who can tackle related challenges. If you have the competencies to help companies redesign products and services, retrain employees and evaluate nance and capital management, you will be an asset to any organization, Acutt says. Here are four key ways business schools are incorporating sustainability education into their programs: 2/3/10 1:41:46 PM