Nathan Stuck didn’t return to Athens to change the community, much less the world.

After a decade into his career working for a small business, then a large one and even for himself, Stuck came back to the University of Georgia to get an MBA—and just hit reset. He stumbled into the movement to improve companies’ social and environmental impacts, and he helped lay the groundwork for UGA’s Terry College of Business to prepare students to balance profits and the public good in their business careers.

As an MBA student, Stuck found an opportunity to help the tech services firm Ad Victoriam Solutions (a Bulldog 100 firm based in Atlanta) fulfill its founder’s vision to become a socially conscious company. And not just based on its own standards. Companies can become Certified B-Corporations by undergoing a rigorous audit of their business that looks at a company’s impact on its community, environment, work force and customers.

In the process, Stuck not only helped Ad Victoriam achieve its goal, he landed a job as director of corporate culture.

Stuck—and a handful of Terry students who had similar experiences—got Santanu Chatterjee thinking. Chatterjee, the director of Terry College’s full-time MBA program, was watching two significant trends in business: 1) a growing public distrust of corporations and 2) a growing workforce that increasingly values purpose-driven careers.

The big question

American businesses have an image problem. Less than half of Americans (48%) trust large companies or think corporations have a positive impact on society, according to a recent study from Just Capital. Meanwhile, members of Generation Z, who are now entering the workforce, say they are more interested in interacting with brands that make a positive difference and are more likely to seek purpose-driven careers than previous generations.

“The big question for us is how we’re preparing the future minds that will lead our economy and our businesses and society,” said Chatterjee, who also directs Terry’s MSBA program. “Are we preparing them well enough to address some of these big challenges? And not only today’s challenges but tomorrow’s challenges as well? These challenges are both at the local and community level and at the national and global level.”

A new program

To make sure graduates will be able to address these challenges and pursue purpose-driven careers, the Terry College established the Social Innovation area of focus for MBA students starting last fall. They can work on a skill set in social innovation by taking courses on sustainability, public policy or innovation, and by working on an applied learning project, such as serving on a nonprofit board, working on a sustainability service project or—like Stuck—helping a company attain B-Corp certifications.

“Letting these students know that they can bake purpose and impact into everything they do is important for us,” said Jake Mosley, director of student services for Terry’s full-time MBA and MSBA programs.

Stuck is now co-founder and chair of B Local Georgia, which is trying to grow the B Corps movement in the state. “These projects give you a kind of crash course in how businesses work and their connection to their employees and their communities. It gives you the chance to open your eyes and realize that there are other opportunities out there if you want to seek them out,” Stuck said. “And, you never know, they might hire you.”