Wall Street Journal Ranks Haas #2 in CSR, #5 Overall



September 27, 2006


Berkeley CA - The Haas School of Business has been named the #2 business school in the discipline of corporate social responsibility by The Wall Street Journal's national ranking of full-time MBA programs. Haas was also named the #5 MBA program overall – the first time the school has made the top five of any of the major rankings. The school ranked #7 overall in 2005.


Based on the perception of more than 4,100 corporate recruiters who hire full-time MBA graduates, this is first time The Journal's annual survey highlighted the discipline of corporate social responsibility (CSR), signifying its rapidly growing visibility and importance in the business world. Nearly 17% of recruiters said a graduate's commitment to corporate social responsibility is an attribute that is "very important" to them in the recruiting process.


“Since 2003, we have worked extremely hard to build the Center for Responsible Business and the Haas School's CSR presence and we are very proud of our #2 placement in these rankings,” said Kellie McElhaney, executive director and professor at the Haas School's Center for Responsible Business.


The Wall Street Journal bases its ranking entirely on feedback from corporate recruiters, who applauded Haas graduates for their creativity, collegiality, and entrepreneurial streak.


Adds McElhaney, “We are encouraged that The Wall Street Journal now counts corporate social responsibility among its substantive fields of recognition within management education, along with accounting, finance, marketing, and operations.”


The Center for Responsible Business works closely with a host of companies - including Gap Inc., Hewlett-Packard, McDonald's, Intel, eBay, and Levi Strauss - on strategic consulting engagements, research projects, case competitions, and fellowship opportunities.


“I am proud of the Center's deep partnerships with companies, including the completion of more than 100 CSR consulting engagements,” said Mike Homer, chair of the Center's senior advisory board and Haas School alum. “I believe it is one of the lead Centers for CSR in the country, and would refer any company to the Center for cutting-edge, serious CSR strategy work.”


Recruiters also named Haas the third best school for hiring women, the fifth best school for minorities, and the fifth best for hiring graduates with strong ethical standards.


“We're happy The Wall Street Journal has ranked us in the top five of the best MBA programs in the country and top two in CSR,” said Haas School Dean, Tom Campbell. “I congratulate our Berkeley MBA students who have prepared diligently for their career development and done an excellent job in creating positive impressions with recruiters.”


The top five schools in The Journal's ranking include the University of Michigan (Ross), Dartmouth College (Tuck), Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper), Columbia University, and the University of California, Berkeley (Haas).


The Wall Street Journal Full Report available at Career Journal. (Requires subscription)