MacArthur Foundation Builds New Sustainable Development Programs

With the US financial sector in meltdown and a raft of serious problems plaguing the global population, a lot of people are thinking twice about how business is done.

Are there new ways of looking at things that might be better for the people of the Earth and the Earth itself? Shouldn't we be thinking more holistically about how to grow everyone's good fortune and not just enrich a few?

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is banking (so to speak) on the idea that new perspectives are needed, especially when it comes to looking at how economics, management, environmental problems and development issues interact.

With this in mind, they have awarded grants totaling $5.6 million to ten universities in eight countries to start new Master’s programs in Development Practice, according to a press release. The programs will be fundamentally interdisciplinary, integrating natural sciences, social sciences, health sciences and management to give students the ability to address global priorities like sustainable development, climate change and pervasive poverty.

The programs will "provide students with substantive knowledge required to analyze and diagnose multi-dimensional problems," but will go beyond the classroom by sending students to do field training in developing countries for extended periods. "Practical" and "hands-on" is the name of the game.

"Today’s global development challenges — from human rights to extreme poverty and climate change — are interconnected," said Barry Lowenkron, MacArthur’s Vice President for Global Security and Sustainability. "So the next generation of sustainable development leaders must be able to draw on our best knowledge across multiple fields such as agronomy, health and the environment."

We can only hope that MBA programs will sit up and take notice of this well-rounded approach to learning.

Photo by souravdas via Flickr.