Innovation + Responsibility

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal featured its annual MBA rankings. This ranking is a bit different than others because it is from the recruiters' point of view. So, from the perspective of people who want to get a job after their MBA, this is a good indicator of how they will be received in the marketplace.

Needless to say, I am thrilled that Haas came in at #5! And the best part about it is the fact that corporate social responsibility was called out as a particular Haas strength. I am not sure if the recruiters were asked about CSR or if they simply brought it up on their own. Either way, it is a sign of important progress for the field.

Here is the story and below is a brief excerpt. Incidentally, Yahoo! and Gap do have Haas MBAs in CSR roles. But so do many others. Sun (of course!), Mozilla Foundation, eBay, Ernst & Young...and I am sure there are others that I just don't know yet.

5. University of California, Berkeley (Haas)

The Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley broke into the top five of the National ranking this year for the first time, as recruiters applauded its graduates for their creative and entrepreneurial streak.

Berkeley fared even better with certain recruiters. Closely connected to Silicon Valley, it received the highest rating of any school in the survey from recruiters in the technology industry. Academically, recruiters rated it the fourth-best M.B.A. program in the world for teaching information technology.

The Haas School is also making a mark for itself in the growing academic field of corporate social responsibility and ethics. Such companies as Gap Inc. and Yahoo Inc. are increasingly hiring Haas M.B.A.s for their knowledge and experience in corporate citizenship. And in this year's recruiter survey, respondents named Berkeley second most often, after Yale University, for excellence in teaching about social responsibility. Recruiters also rated it the fifth-best school for hiring students with strong ethical standards.

"Students at Haas are among the most talented and capable of any M.B.A. program," says Devan Cross, a survey respondent and special-operations general manager for Pulte Homes Inc. "They are enthusiastic about making a real difference in their careers, particularly if they can do it in a team-oriented fashion rather than in a cutthroat situation. The latter does not suit the typical Haas student."

This is why I went to Haas. And I am so proud to have been part of it! Click here for more information about CSR at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.