On 14 July 2022, the SGH Warsaw School of Economics was granted the Business School Impact System (BSIS IMPACT) certification, confirming its impact on the social and economic environment and role in building its social responsibility.
BSIS IMPACT is a certification issued by the European Foundation for Management Development (EMFD), a global non-profit organisation dedicated to management development, founded in 1972. EMFD is recognised globally as an accreditation body for business schools and business school programmes.
The EMFD uses BSIS IMPACT to assess the institution’s impact on its environment, defined as financial impact, educational impact, business development impact, intellectual impact, impact within the ecosystem, societal impact, and image impact.
The final decision to grant the BSIS IMPACT certification, was preceded by several months of implementation of the BSIS guidelines, a process which SGH completed in June this year.
In the final report prepared by BSIS experts, the financial impact of SGH was estimated at EUR 321 million.
The School’s wide-ranging offering of MBA and postgraduate degree programmes was indicated as its substantial educational impact, in particular in management education.
As for business development impact, the report emphasised the perfect cooperation between the School and its business environment, the number of internships and degree programmes implemented in cooperation with external entities (such as EY, Santander, or Citi Bank). In this case, its impact was estimated at EUR 2.2 million.
The report also pointed to the impressive intellectual impact that the community of the SGH Warsaw School of Economics has on its environment, as evidenced by the scientific and expert publications, the partnership with the Economic Forum in Karpacz, the preparation of the annual SGH Report, and organisation of significant academic conferences.
The School’s cooperation with the Olympic Committee, authorities of Mazowieckie voivodeship, as well as the activities of its students who are associated in over 60 academic clubs and organisations operating largely on the local ground, were considered to have a significant impact on the local ecosystem.
In turn, in the societal dimension the great commitment of the School’s authorities to projects concerning social responsibility, openness towards building an anti-discriminatory, diversity-friendly and inclusive environment was emphasised. The report also praised the students’ efforts in CSR projects.
SGH’s presence in the media as a significant hub of experts was also not without meaning for the BSIS certification. Publications in Gazeta SGH and materials appearing in other communication channels of the School were considered valuable and shaping the public opinion. SGH’s impact is also important in shaping the image policy of the capital city of Warsaw.
“I am very happy we can announce another success. +We’ve got it!+ as the young people say – pointed out the Rector of SGH, prof. Piotr Wachowiak on learning that the certification was awarded to the School. – I would like to thank everyone for their immense commitment, especially the Vice Rector for International Relations, prof. Jacek Prokop, as well as prof. Marcin Wojtysiak-Kotlarski, who is responsible for international accreditation projects. We are stronger together!” – he emphasised.
Dr hab. Jacek Prokop, professor of SGH and Vice Rector for International Relations went on to say:
“Only a very small group of around 60 leading business schools in the world can currently boast a BSIS certification. Therefore, we are pioneers in social engagement, which becomes more and more important in the operations of higher education institutions” – he stressed.
“I greatly thank my direct associates – prof. Marcin Wojtysiak-Kotlarski and Director Katarzyna Kacperczyk for their tremendous work in obtaining international accreditations and certifications for our School. Obviously, we should not forget that these distinctions are testimony to the commitment and high qualifications of the entire SGH community” – he added.
In September 2021, the SGH Warsaw School of Economics obtained the prestigious EQUIS accreditation, also awarded by the EFMD.
