The University of Michigan’s, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, has highlighted its dedication to female empowerment and sustainability by introducing two scholarship initiatives at the Dubai HR Summit & Expo.
Following the success of related initiatives launched in 2019, the Michigan Ross School of Business, one of the Top 10 global executive education providers and the Financial Times’ #1 executive education provider in North America in 2022, decided to announce the opening of application submissions at the summit. The programs for this year have been created to help GCC executives hone their leadership skills.
The first seeks to empower and encourage women by assisting them in developing new skills. The second, a brand-new category that was introduced this year, is to increase public knowledge of how sustainability affects every aspect of the economy on a local, regional, and global scale. In addition to what is presently considered corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, it will honour scholars who successfully and effectively advance sustainability as a company strategy.
The scholarships will cover the cost of tuition, books, accommodation and the majority of daily expenses.
Launching the new scholarships at the HR Summit, Ross’s MEA Head of Operations, Jay Srage said, “With the ongoing acceleration of digital transformation, new skills and capabilities are vital for organizations to survive. It is vital to ensure that the workforce is well equipped to guarantee the GCC’s success in the coming years. We are looking for strong, aspiring women and men to lead this transformation and promote women’s empowerment in the workforce. In addition to our commitment to diversity and the empowerment of women in balanced organizations, we understand the importance of sustainability in our world today.”
Terry Nelidov, Managing Director at Ross’s Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise added that climate change, human rights movements, and stakeholder capitalism that integrates profits from sustainability into shareholder value, have all conspired to prompt a significant uptake in how corporations and governments act towards sustainability – which has long been viewed as a CSR or a marketing initiative.
“For many years, our work was focused on making the ‘business case’ for sustainability – why social and environmental impact matters to a for-profit company,” he explained. “We’re beyond that now! Most global business leaders have some understanding that sustainability is integral to their companies’ competitiveness, indeed to their long-term viability as ongoing enterprises. Now the conversation has turned from the why to the how and we are delighted that Ross continues to be a catalyst of the movement through its extensive research in the field done through the Erb Institute and the University as whole.”
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