University Times

BNY Mellon, a global asset management and securities services company, this week announced a 10-year, $1 million commitment for the development of corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs and education at Pitt.

The BNY Mellon grant will fund student fellowships, faculty research fellowships and annual CSR forums and case-study competitions. The programs will be administered through the David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership, part of the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration.

Provost Patricia E. Beeson commented, “World events have shown that business education needs to devote more attention to corporate social responsibility. Students must also have an ethical compass that helps them discern appropriate actions in an increasingly interconnected world where laws and conventions differ widely across nations and financial incentives encourage risk-taking. Attention to responsibility and ethics in a diverse world is an important core aptitude that the University wants to instill in the future leaders it prepares.”

The grant will provide:

• Three fully funded BNY Mellon CSR MBA fellowships, enabling MBA students and small- and medium-size regional businesses to work together on enhancement, development, implementation and analysis of CSR initiatives;

• Two BNY Mellon business of humanity fellowships, where students will use technology and research to solve such world problems as providing clean water, the adequate availability of electricity or sufficient work opportunities;

• Six BNY Mellon learning through experience fellowships awarded annually to recruit full-time MBA students who are interested in CSR;

• Five two-year BNY Mellon faculty research fellowships established to encourage innovative CSR-related thinking and faculty research, and

• An annual CSR forum and case competition.