Dean Approves Sustainability Strategic Plan for Smeal

Dean Charles Whiteman has approved the Sustainability Strategic Plan for the Penn State Smeal College of Business, further positioning Smeal to be a leader in sustainability efforts across the University.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (March 21, 2013) -- Dean Charles Whiteman has approved the Sustainability Strategic Plan for the Penn State Smeal College of Business, further positioning Smeal to be a leader in sustainability efforts across the University.

The Sustainability Strategic Plan was developed by a task force that includes wide representation from Smeal, including faculty, staff, and students. The plan emphasizes ways that Smeal can make an impact in this area through its curriculum, faculty research, and service to the community.

“Part of our vision for Smeal is that we become a leader among business schools in the area of sustainability through our teaching, research, and outreach,” said Whiteman. “Educating our students in this area will help them to add value in their future professions, and emphasizing sustainability in our research and service will underscore our commitment to making an impact on not just our students but the world around us.”

Gerald Susman, Klein Professor Emeritus of Management and director of the Smeal Sustainability Council, has been designated to lead the charge in implementing the plan’s recommendations.

Smeal’s sustainability efforts were first solidified in the 2008-2013 strategic plan, which called for the college to create a research center dedicated to the study of sustainable business practices as part of the strategic goal of enhancing the college’s dialogue with society.

As a first step, the college formed the Smeal Sustainability Council, which assisted in the development of the Sustainability Strategic Plan.

REPORTERS & EDITORS: For more information, please contact Victoria Fryer in the Smeal College of Business Media Relations Office at 814-863-3798 or mediarelations@smeal.psu.edu.

Penn State's Smeal College of Business offers highly ranked undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, Ph.D., and executive education opportunities to more than 5,500 students at all levels. Featuring academic departments of accounting, finance, management and organization, marketing, risk management, and supply chain and information systems, the college is also home to major research centers such as the Center for Supply Chain Research, the Institute for the Study of Business Markets, the Farrell Center for Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Center for Global Business Studies, and the Center for the Management of Technological and Organizational Change.