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Willamette University
Atkinson Graduate School of Management

900 State Street
Salem, OR 97301
United States

In the school's own words...

Students at Willamette University’s Atkinson Graduate School of Management are engaged in class discussions, hands-on projects and research initiatives with faculty to emphasize the role of stewardship and service in the professional world. The Atkinson School has invested time and resources into promoting social responsibility and ethics into its mission, operating strategy, and course content.

Guided by the university motto, “Not unto ourselves alone are we born,” faculty research is centered on the implications of management decision making on the greater local and global community. Every student at the Atkinson School experiences the unique differences and strong integrations between business, government and not-for-profit organizations.

One of only two programs accredited by the AACSB for business administration and NASPAA for public administration, the Atkinson School has an earned reputation as a leader in public, private and non-profit management. No matter what sector they choose to pursue a career, graduates emerge from the program prepared to lead and make decisions in a greater societal context.

The Atkinson curriculum provides students with the opportunity to choose from eight management areas of interest, each with courses that emphasize ethics, corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability through cases, projects and class discussions.

The Practical Applications for Careers and Enterprises (PACE) program serves as the experiential backbone of the Atkinson curriculum. In the first segment of PACE, student teams have the opportunity to partner with a non-profit or government organization, providing valuable consulting projects and helping to solve organizational and managerial issues.

Students also prepare new venture proposals, often in the social entrepreneurship field, where they must seek out funding and actively operate and sustain their enterprise.

PACE continues into the second year with the “Leading an Ethical and Sustainable Organization” component, where students research and evaluate organizations nominated for the Oregon Ethics in Business Awards. Interacting with executives and upper level managers, students gain a clear understanding of the commitment of organizations, and individuals, to the workplace, the marketplace, the environment and the community in which they operate.

The Atkinson School has invested in a number of initiatives to cultivate corporate social responsibility and sustainability into its operations and curriculum into the future. A designated Professor of Management Practice coordinates the PACE experience and serves as the point of contact for non-profit and government partners.

In addition, the Center for Governance and Public Policy Research and Center for Sustainable Communities work with faculty, staff and students in coordinating funding and resources for continued research. Students and faculty have been awarded research grants to teach sustainable practices in the classroom, offer professional development opportunities focused on environmental stewardship, and assist in University-wide sustainability efforts.

Willamette University and the Atkinson Graduate School have created an intimate learning environment where students experience corporate social responsibility and environmental stewardship through experiential learning in and out of the classroom. Investments in faculty research, facilities and programs have furthered Willamette’s commitment to its mission of “business savvy for the greater good” - and will continue to support initiatives into the future.