UP FRONT with JOHN FERNANDES

President and Chief Executive Officer, AACSB International

It's PRiME Time!

?Welcome to Beirut International Airport. We are pleased and honored to have you in our city.? Such is the sincerely hospitable greeting one receives upon entry to one of the world?s most enigmatic cities. Bordering the placid blue Mediterranean Sea to the west and thunderous Iraq to the east, Lebanon?s tranquil environs seem at once at odds with foreign perceptions of this struggling paradise. 

Last month I visited the American University of Beirut (AUB) at the invitation of Dean George Najjar to meet with AUB?s faculty, administration, and members of the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business advisory board. AACSB International?s Peace through Commerce vision jumps to life every minute of one?s time in this tiny centrum of very differing factions. Left alone, Lebanon is a model for world harmony and joy of life. It is hard to believe that just one year ago the Lebanese people were caught between warring entities while today most Lebanese simply want to build their country back to its glory days.

The story of AUB and its energetic b-school is one worthy of telling the world. Each time conflict has threatened its peace, Lebanon finds a way to stay together and outlast the latest aggression. A key component of the country?s resilience is the American University of Beirut community which boasts a former accounting professor as Lebanon?s prime minister. Last year, not a single member of the Olayan School?s faculty was missing when roll call came for the fall semester. The university hardly skipped a beat as Lebanon was turned into a brief but memorable war zone. 

The heart of the American University of Beirut is its mission of peace and advancement of the Lebanese economy. With the longer term emergence of Iraq as a developing nation, AUB is primed to assist Iraq in preparing socially-responsible managers to lead the Middle East to mutual respect and harmony. One need not look deeply to see the substantial impact business schools are having in China, India, and other emerging dominant economies. But I have to look hard to find a school living the daily life of peace through commerce as well as the Olayan School.

AACSB?s Peace through Commerce initiative is an important element of our new emphasis on Sustainability. Along with our ethics and governance initiatives, we also support the advent of the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRiME). In cooperation with the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), EFMD, and several other co-conveners, the new principles were endorsed by the AACSB Board in September. The PRiME Steering Committee is working on an implementation plan and expects to invite AACSB members and others to endorse the PRiME later this month. PRiME is intended to assist schools in their efforts to provide socially-responsible management education. Principles for Responsible Management Education. 

Schools joining PRiME will need to send a letter to the UNGC endorsing the principles and agreeing to implement at least one of the six guidelines. A brief annual report will be required. The PRiME is not tied to AACSB accreditation in any way and is governed by an alliance of several organizations. Members may not mention their PRiME status in such a way as to indicate that it is an AACSB-accredited program. I hope you will consider joining schools throughout the world in endorsing the Principles for Responsible Management Education. Building socially-responsible leaders is an important emphasis for all of us. 

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