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31 BizEd July/August 2014 JOH N LAB B E /G ETTY I MAG ES E thics and social responsi- bility have become impor- tant components in many business programs, but perhaps nowhere are these topics so foun- dational to mission and curriculum than at Jesuit institutions. Today, Jesuit schools are intensifying their efforts by joining forces and sharing resources, says Gregory Ulferts, director of graduate busi- ness programs at University of Detroit Mercy's College of Business Administration in Michigan. Ulferts also is the executive director of the organization that is helping Jesuit business schools globally integrate their efforts: the International Association of Jesuit Business Schools. IAJBS is an alli- ance of 176 recognized Jesuit uni- versities and institutes, as well as more than 400 additional business programs—many of them at Cath- olic universities—that participate at an associate member level. The IAJBS allows its members to "find common ground and vision. As a group, we're able to achieve more change than we could if we worked individually," says Ulferts. At the association's 2009 World Forum conference in India, IAJBS member schools agreed to add global sustainability to their ethics- based mission statements, but they didn't have a common definition of sustainability, says Ulferts. "One person would talk about it in rela- tion to the environment, while someone else viewed it in relation to people. Our first task after that 2009 meeting was to make sure we understood what we wanted to do in that arena." After much discussion, Jesuit business schools now view global sustainability not just in terms of protecting the environment, but as a path to taking care of communi- ties. Ulferts points to several ini- tiatives and programs around the world that support this expanded perspective: ■ Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines has created a program to promote small busi- ness development, including its social incubator ACSENT, which is described on page 33 in the section "A Culture of Social Enterprise." ■ Sogang University in South Korea, Fu Jen University in Tai- wan, and Sophia University in Japan send students to work with students at Universitas Sanata Dharma in Indonesia to help com- munities hit by the tsunami in 2004. One student from each uni- versity works on a project team, and each team works with a com- munity group. ■ The Xavier Institute of Devel- opment Action and Study (XIDAS) in Jabalpur, India, has partnered with government to help small vil- lages where the water supply has dried up. Students and faculty come to an agreement with the village, survey for water, and drive a three- inch pipe to a water source. Vil- lagers roll out wire to an electrical source as far as a half mile away so they can run electricity to operate the water pump. Once a water source is estab- lished, the villagers are given 20 plants, most of which are mango trees that bear fruit quickly. As part of their agreement with XIDAS, villagers commit to plant- ing and cultivating their plants. Because they can access electricity only at night, they also must com- mit to rolling the wire back up each day. So far, the program has been established in more than 40 villages, which now have access not only to clean water, but also to their own food supply. They also have the capacity to take their fruit and vegetables to the city to sell to generate income. The cost of the entire project per village is only about US$2,500. ■ Because there is not yet a Jesuit business school in Africa, ESADE in Spain, the University of Namur in Belgium, and Georgetown Uni- versity in the U.S. are all partner- ing with schools in Africa to help develop business education on the African continent. IAJBS is collabo- rating with them on the project. The association's next step is to explore ways to engage in its efforts the approximately 14 mil- lion alumni who have graduated from Jesuit schools. For instance, to bring students and alumni together, the association is planning a stu- dent case competition on ethics and social responsibility. The IAJBS also is in the process of setting up global student and alumni associations. "We want to do more to mold our network and remind our alumni to get involved with our various activi- ties around the world," Ulferts says. All Jesuit business schools "share a common purpose," Ulferts adds. "The strength of IAJBS is our ability to find common ground— common thinking—around the world. I'm proud of our strong network. Together, we can make a difference in the world." The following two articles describe in more detail how two Jesuit institutions—Santa Clara University in California and Saint Louis University in Missouri—have designed programs to more deeply engrain ethics, social responsibil- ity, and sustainability in business education. These programs are just a sampling of ways that Jesuit business schools are working to expand their missions to effect social change beyond their own campuses. For information about IAJBS, visit www.iajbs.org.