Dean MaryAnne Hyland, PhD, has been named a 2024 Power Player in Corporate Social Responsibility. But the honor, she says, belongs to the entire Robert B. Willumstad School of Business.
PoliticsNY recently named MaryAnne Hyland, PhD, dean of the Robert B. Willumstad School of Business, one of the (CSR). The list honors those who are âpioneering social responsibility within their organizations,â with a dedication to âpositive change and shaping a brighter future for all.â
Itâs a recognition Dr. Hyland described as âvery humbling,â but she quickly shifted the credit to where she said it really belongs.
âIt is the School that has done all the work,â Dr. Hyland said, âand that is because developing socially responsible leaders is an integral part of our mission.â
She defines CSR as âcreating a positive impact on society through one or more strategies or initiatives. It can involve minimizing environmental impact, improving the workplace, supporting community causes, charitable giving, among others.â
Dr. Hyland explains that the School is focused on two of the to guide its CSR efforts. The first goal, she said, is providing a quality education that is inclusive and equitable. The second is reducing inequalities, especially as related to education.
A Mix of Classroom Education and Real-World Insights
This focus on CSR has become more structured over the years. As a result, the School offers a business education today that is a strong mix of classroom education and real-world insights. Courses include case studies and decision-making exercises that âgive students an understanding of how to address CSR in the business world and the tradeoffs that might be required,â Dr. Hyland explained. âWe also have ethics as one of our Schoolâs learning goals, and CSR comes into play there, too.â
Additionally, students hear from guest speakersâmany of whom are Willumstad alumniâwho can tell them about the challenges of implementing CSR in the world of business they will encounter after they graduate, where âdoing goodâ and âdoing wellâ are often at odds.
âCSR is something that remains aspirational for many organizations,â Dr. Hyland said. âThere has been a lot of progress, but there is still plenty of room for growth. If a company wants to get CSR right, they should be addressing all their stakeholders. Thatâs the âdoing goodâ part of their business, and some companies are real leaders in achieving that.â
The Schoolâs commitment to CSR continues to evolve. The annual Business Plan Competition, for example, added an award category in 2022 for the best socially responsible plan. The goal, Dr. Hyland said, is to encourage students to think of CSR as an integral component when developing their business concept and writing their plan.
Faculty Research: Practicing What They Teach
For Willumstad faculty, moving CSR forward in their scholarly pursuitsâpracticing what they teachâis a key part of their role in the Schoolâs mission.
âIâm especially proud of what our faculty has done in their research,â Dr. Hyland said. She cites several projects, including studies of CO2 emission abatement by Zhimin Huang, PhD; employee physical fatigue by Zahra Sedighi Maman, PhD; and the by Yun Jung Lee, PhD.
But in the end, the result of all the combined efforts is the âproductâ that goes out the door: the Willumstad graduates.
âWhen our students graduate, many of them are interested in CSR,â Dr. Hyland said. âThey often look for companies known for being socially responsible.â
The hope is that the values embedded in the Schoolâs curriculum have also become embedded in its new alumni. Dr. Hyland says the School strives to envelop students in what she calls âa culture of conscience.â Itâs not only increasingly important in preparing them for the business world they will enter, but also, like CSR itself, she said, âItâs the right thing to do.â