Financial Times Recognizes UC Davis among Global Business Schools for Sustainability

by Sarah Colwell

In Financial Times’ 2022 Special Report on Responsible Business Education, the global media news organization recognized the UC Davis Graduate School of Management among 38 top business schools globally and 17 schools in the U.S. for its leadership in sustainability.

The Financial Times report, published January 18, 2022, chronicles how amid the pandemic “students and employers are pressing business schools to shift from teaching profit maximization to environment and sustainability.”

Noting that “many campaigners now criticize business school rankings for focusing on graduates’ salaries rather than the tools and values needed for a more responsible form of capitalism,” the Financial Times drew upon seven different lists and metrics from other agencies to gather data for their sustainability list.

Topics for assessment included net carbon-neutral goals and assessment of operations to societal impact through research output and teaching benchmarks. The business schools also had to be accredited by a leading agency (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business Internatioal or Equis), have classes of a certain minimum size and agree to share data, according to the publication.

Financial Times said the level of scrutiny was intentional to help bring viable measurement tools to better assess the amorphous topic of sustainability, which is ever growing in popularity.

“While a growing number of institutions are launching sustainability courses, institutes and other initiatives, progress in assessing their extent and effect lags behind. Most reporting remains descriptive, anecdotal and difficult to measure,” the publication states.

“As (our research) shows, efforts to track progress more rigorously are nonetheless under way. They offer some indications of the business schools that are doing more according to a range of data points.”

UC Davis was acknowledged for its Gold ranking by Stars and the university’s goal to be net-carbon neutral by 2025, which was among the most ambitious goals of any institution on the list.

“Business schools with carbon-neutral targets demonstrate a commitment to tackling climate change,” Financial Times editors wrote.

Read the article, "Shades of green in business education rankings."

UC Davis Green Rankings - Walking the Walk

UC Davis has long been recognized nationally and internationally for its commitment to sustainability and its impactful global research in areas such as in climate change science, food and agriculture, land management, energy, transportation and responsible business best practices.

Most recently, GreenMetric Rankings named UC Davis the most sustainable university in North America and 5th most sustainable university in the world in December of 2021.