On Saturday August 3, 2024, the Grossman School of Business (Grossman School) Sustainable Innovation MBA (SI-MBA) hosted an inauguration ceremony for the 2024 cohort of its one-year accelerated MBA program. Joining an ever-growing alumni community, thirty-eight students graduated from the program and are joining the business world as a force for good.
Held in the majestic Grand Maple Ballroom in ¶¶Òõ̽̽’s Dudley H. Davis Center, this year’s cohort was addressed at the ceremony by Grossman School Dean Sanjay Sharma, graduate Program Director Kim Nolan, Professor Chuck Schnitzlein who recently stepped down this year from his role as the program’s Academic Director, ¶¶Òõ̽̽ Provost Patricia Prelock, and class of 2024 speaker Catherine Lange.
Part of the innovative curriculum of the SI-MBA program is continued exposure to thought leaders in sustainability. This goal was upheld one last time for this year’s cohort as the ceremony welcomed inauguration speaker Kerry Duggan ’00, former climate advisor to President Joe Biden. Duggan shared several pieces of advice with this year’s graduating class, now charged with taking the practical and experiential learning of the last year and using it to change the world of tomorrow for the better.
Recognition of Accomplishments
The inauguration ceremony also included the handing out of several awards. Ten students, including Noragh Kathryn Devlin, Bethany Siobhan Kelly, Chani Krech, Nicole Baer Kutenplon, Catherine Cromwell Lange, James Mulligan, Nina Paus-Weiler, Yuval Pearl, Margot Scharfe, and Patricia Zberg, were inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, taking the pledge to join the prestigious, international honor society for business. Nicole Kutenplon was awarded the Malcom Severance Graduate Excellence Award. The cohort also recognized Professor Dror Etzion, who serves as the Steven Grossman Endowed Chair of Sustainable Business, as the Faculty Member of the Year. Alison Whritenour, CEO of Seventh Generation, was declared the Adjunct Faculty Member of the Year.
A Top Tier Sustainability Program
The SI-MBA program at the ¶¶Òõ̽̽ Grossman School of Business is an accelerated one-year program that focuses on the essential toolkit to manage — and transform — business. The consistent focus on excellence by the school’s faculty, staff, and leadership continues to earn the school as The Princeton Review’s highest ranked Best Green MBA program accredited by the Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Only 6% of the programs worldwide earn this distinction from the AACSB, which is the most prestigious accrediting body for business programs.
Congratulations to the Sustainable Innovation MBA graduates of 2024! We look forward to the impact you'll have on the business world as you address environmental and social issues with the goal of overcoming our global sustainability challenges. A tremendous thanks to all those who have helped teach, design, support, and shape SI-MBA and the sustainable business leaders the program is cultivating.
The Grossman School of Business is grateful for the SI-MBA community and would like to thank all who have supported the program this year including our impactful donors Mr. Steven Grossman, Robin Tauck, Greg Hunt, Dennis Meany, Robert M. Phillips, the Bain family and business partners Curtis Packaging and Seventh Generation. We also would like to express gratitude to our inauguration speaker Kerry Duggan, event photographer Karen Pike, and the ¶¶Òõ̽̽ Davis Center for partnering with us on this special day.