I spent some time this morning at a student symposium sponsored by WUSC on campus here at St. Francis Xavier University. The goal of my little talk and workshop was to see what the various students at the conference knew about the Millennium Development Goals, and how they saw them relating to their own lives. I was pleasantly surprised.

While few of the students could recite the Goals (who could???) they were very reflective and curious about what role they could play. There was a healthy mix of criticism and optimism as they broke into different groups to discuss whether the Goals matter, and if they do, what they can do about it them.

Accepting that these students don’t necessarily represent the norm in most universities, I was still left with the impression that apathy does not, in fact, the rule on Canadian campuses.

Can MBA programs be a tool for good? There is certainly a good case to be made that the best and brightest – if those are who indeed are drawn to business degrees – are not working on solving the most pressing problems of the world. NextBillion.net is reporting on the second annual Global Citizenship contest, which provides a platform for MBA students to partner with industry to devise socially responsible business practices. This is all well and good, but I would also hope to see spaces open for those studying management to begin with problems rather than with the solution (our business practices). It seems to me a rather backward way to approach social issues, but one that much of the progressive world is now enamored with.