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Headlines could make monetary donations. The weekend after the earthquake, Loyola University New Orleans—a Louisi- ana school that suffered through the Katrina disaster—hosted a free con- cert where audience members could donate funds and used a chapel mass to gather more than $3,000 for relief efforts. UNO also assembled a Hope for Haiti task force, which was plan- ning a music benefit in late February and other events. In the coming weeks, universi- Universities Respond to Tragedy in Haiti When a devastating earthquake hit Haiti on January 12, individuals and insti- tutions around the world quickly began organizing themselves to offer help. Despite the fact that many universities were still on winter break when the quake occurred, dozens of business schools were among the institutions moving fast to coordi- nate relief efforts. At Fairfield University's Dolan School of Business in Connecticut, there's been a special connection to Haiti for the past nine years. Profes- sor Winston Tellis and his students have worked with a rural bakery, devising business plans and man- agement strategies that have kept it operating through economic ups and downs. The bakery was severely damaged in the earthquake, but Tellis—and Fairfield—have been able to draw on complex networks of friends and alumni to offer broad assistance to the country itself. For instance, Tellis helped bring togeth- 8 BizEd MARCH/APRIL 2010 er representatives from Fonkoze, a major microfinance organization in Haiti, with Mercy Corps, a group of crisis professionals who provide aid services around the world. "Mercy has enormous resources in emergency situations," says Tellis. "Fonkoze has the know-how on the ground. Together they've brought in money and food and teams of IT people, and they're doing incredible work." Students, faculty, and staff at Fairfield also have organized a coor- dinating committee to discuss what they can do to help Haitians—even once the earthquake stops being front-page news. "We're making a plan to keep the issue in front of our campus for the long term, to con- tinue to be of assistance in any area where we have skills," Tellis says. Other business schools and uni- versities also have moved fast to organize assistance. For instance, the University of Miami in Florida held a candlelight vigil for quake victims and dedicated a Web site where stu- dents, faculty, and other stakeholders ties and business schools all over the world are expected to respond to the disaster with fund raisers and other initiatives. In late January, AACSB International and Net Impact issued a joint statement acknowledging the tragedy and urging their members to join the relief efforts. "As educators and corporate citizens, we have the unique oppor- tunity on a daily basis to mold the minds, actions, and benevolent spirit of the next generation of lead- ers," said the release from John Fernandes, president and CEO of AACSB, and Liz Maw, executive director of Net Impact. "It is now that we must encourage our com- munities to join in the universal relief efforts and answer the call with fund raising and volunteer efforts." Members of both organizations are encouraged to send the details of their initiatives to amyp@aacsb.edu. The organizations plan to publish stories that best embody "the spirit of generosity and social responsibil- ity" in these tragic times. At Fairfield, the plan is to identify one reputable organization through which to channel all the university's assistance. "What we do is a drop in the bucket," Tellis acknowledges, "but all the buckets together might fill the ocean." DAVID SWANSON/NEWSCOM