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Jay Friedlander of O'Natural's to run innovative program
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 -

College of the Atlantic today becomes the first college in the northeast to offer a "green" business undergraduate program.

The college's new curriculum, focusing on sustainability and socially responsible business, will be led by Jay Friedlander, former chief operating officer of O'Naturals. Only seven higher learning institutions in the United States currently offer similar programs to undergraduates, according to a recent survey by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

As the founding faculty member of the college's Green and Socially Responsible Business Program, Friedlander will hold the Sharpe/McNally Chair in Green and Socially Responsible Business.

"Businesses have arguably had some of the largest and most profound effects on the world's natural and social environments," says Ken Hill, academic dean of College of the Atlantic, also known as COA. "Because it is clear that certain practices associated with business need to be changed for the health of our planet and its inhabitants, we are focusing specifically on the green and socially responsible aspects of business. Jay is exactly the right man to lead us in this direction, with the experience, fortitude and know-how to build an excellent program. We are extremely fortunate to have a current green business leader to spearhead our efforts."

Friedlander was instrumental in catapulting O'Naturals into the nation's first successful organic and natural fast-food chain. Under his leadership, the company launched 15 restaurants and franchise locations, along with a partnership with the $19.5 billion Compass Group. Through this relationship, O'Naturals is opening in colleges, businesses and hospitals across the country.

COA has been working on its Green and Socially Responsible Business Program since 2004, consulting with alumni, students and business leaders to understand the needs of the market and this new field. Third-year student Nick Jenei has been among those connected with planning the program, and was a member of the search committee for Friedlander's position. "It is impossible to understand the complex world we find ourselves in with out a deep understanding of business," says Jenei. "Whether we have great faith in the power of the capitalistic model to change the world for the better, or whether we fear its means and want to transcend its selfish motives, we must be comfortable business. The world is a product of the great wealth and massive poverty that capitalism has created."

Working with current faculty who already teach a wide array of business and business-related classes, Friedlander will form a coherent curriculum designed to cultivate the next generation of leaders. Students can obtain the skills and experience to practice business using sound economic, social and ecological principles. The program will teach students to learn how to do well-financially-by doing good: ecologically and socially.

Friedlander, who has taught courses in leveraging social responsibility into a competitive advantage at the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College, is basing his program on a conundrum facing both the global corporations and students seeking to go into business or entrepreneurship: "How can businesses-or individuals-incorporate social justice and sustainability to strengthen their business?"

According to Friedlander, "Green and/or socially responsible business is what people want to do. They don't necessarily understand how to do it. People say, 'I want to be socially responsible, but it costs too much.'" Friedlander is out to prove that being green leverages ones values into valuation. "Today's cutting edge companies are redefining the marketplace and creating virtuous cycles where sustainability and profitability go hand-in-hand."

The program was originated by Henry Sharpe, a life trustee of the college and former president of the machine tool company, Brown & Sharpe. It has been strongly supported by COA trustee and alumnus, Jay McNally, founder of the electronic discovery firm Ibis Consulting, Inc.

A former Peace Corps volunteer, Friedlander holds a MBA from Babson College, where he was a valedictorian. He says that much of his life has been focused on trying to bring about positive social change. For him, taking the step to COA follows in this continuum. "At COA, people have a greater understanding of sustainability. COA is there to give students the skills to help make a better world."

College of the Atlantic was founded in 1969 to offer a new educational philosophy to prepare students to address the world's social and environmental challenges. Its one major, Human Ecology, studies the relationship between human beings and their environment through a distinctive interdisciplinary approach. Human Ecology is especially well suited to develop the types of leaders required to address the future sustainability of the world's ecosystems in the face of compelling and growing human needs.