The Aspen Institute — a well-respected education/policy organization — has named two Michigan Ross offerings to its annual list of exceptional business courses. Ross is the only school with more than one class on the list.

The institute’s Business & Society Program presents its Ideas Worth Teaching Awards to “exceptional courses that inspire and equip future business leaders to tackle the issues of our time.” The institute honored 20 courses from a record-setting number of nominees around the world. The winners included:

• Social Intrapreneurship: Leading Social Innovation in Organizations, an MBA elective taught by Jerry Davis and Chris White.

• Sustainable Business in Iceland, a 2017 Global Practicum course taught by Andrew Hoffman for undergraduate, Master of Management, and Master of Accounting students.

“At a time when business leaders face intense scrutiny about their role in social issues, these award-winning faculty are bravely challenging the ‘norms’ of what is taught in business school—and creating leaders who can navigate a highly uncertain environment,” says Claire Preisser, associate director of Aspen BSP.

The Ideas Worth Teaching Awards were established to celebrate courses that bring to life the promise of meaningful work – showing students the choices available in realms like sustainability or the future of work.  This year’s winning courses focus on critical social issues—climate change, social innovation, water scarcity, and artificial intelligence among them—and illuminate how and why these issues are business issues, the institute said in announcing the winners.

The Ideas Worth Teaching Award winners will be recognized at “Working Towards Shared Prosperity: An Academic-Executive Dialogue,” an invitation-only gathering to be held in Ann Arbor Oct. 25-26, co-hosted by Aspen BSP and Michigan Ross.

A record number of award nominations were submitted by academics, business leaders, and students around the world. Winners were selected by Aspen Institute staff in consultation with academic advisors: Professor Bruce Buchanan, Stern School of Business, New York University; Professor Maureen Scully, University of Massachusetts, Boston; and Dean Peter Tufano, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

Learn more about Social Intrapreneurship

Learn more about Global Practicum

Learn more about the award-winning courses

Learn more about the Aspen Institute’s Business & Society Program