The developing world continues to face significant problems, as outlined in the United Nations Millennium Goals: poverty, hunger, disease, environmental degradation and others. Historical development efforts have relied largely on government aid and charitable assistance to help remedy the symptoms, and sometimes the causes, of these seemingly intractable problems.

Recently, there have been efforts to use entrepreneurial, private sector approaches to solve these problems. These efforts, broadly labeled “social entrepreneurship” represent a new approach to addressing market and social needs. At the same time, society is recognizing that our current economic system has imposed heavy costs on our environment and natural systems, and societies are looking for new ways to offer more sustainable alternatives. It is the social entreprenuers who will perform this work.

Various graduate schools and international development programs have begun to offer courses in sustainable entrepreneurship, but there are very few graduate business degree programs aimed entirely at the convergence of social entrepreneurship and sustainability. Colorado State University’s GSSE program brings purposeful people together to create new ventures that have the potential to change the world.