Help Send Me To BGI

Thank you to everyone who supported and encouraged my decision to attend graduate school. I am very grateful to all of you.

After a few years of searching, I finally found the graduate program best suited for me. Last Thursday, Bainbridge Graduate Institute (BGI) accepted me into their 2011 MBA in Sustainability class. Their mission is to change business for good. Although relatively new, BGI is already making positive changes in the business world. While some graduates are recruited by major companies seeking forward-thinking individuals, such as Boeing and Microsoft, many others pursue entrepreneurial endeavors and start or join social enterprises. 

I chose BGI because their mission to change business for the better aligns with my mission to use business as a tool of education and empowerment that promotes social consciousness and positive change.

As some of you are aware, I work with area non-profits and socially-responsible businesses to help them do what they do better. I believe BGI will provide me with additional tools and a network of like-minded individuals, making me exponentially more effective at creating sustainable change.

Now that I’ve been accepted, the next challenge is paying for it. I have set up a ChipIn widget to raise funds to help send me to school. I appreciate any and all donations. If this is successful, I plan on starting a scholarship fund to help others who want to attend programs focused on leadership, innovation, social responsibility, and sustainability.

To learn more about BGI and their programs, please visit their website here. To donate to the college fund, click here.

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New Name, Same Game: The Michael B. Maine Podcast is Now The Menrva Labs Podcast

I finally found a better name than the Michael B. Maine podcast. Although the goal is the same—to share the stories of inspiring and interesting people—moving forward, the name will be the Menrva Labs podcast. From the beginning, I wanted a better name, something that was bigger than me, something that would supersede me if it became popular. In addition to the name change, I will be introducing a few other features:

• It will now be available as both a video podcast and audio podcast, so you can choose whether you would like to watch and/or listen
• I will be launching a completely new website where you can listen, watch, download, and subscribe to the podcast
• You will be able to comment on the each episode using the Disqus commenting engine rather than having to sign up for the site
• Videos will be available on both YouTube and Blip.tv…in HD
• More is on the way, including guest bloggers, columnists, and publications.

I am looking for people to interview. If you are interested or know somebody who has a story from which we can learn, please let me know. My preferred method of contact right now is Twitter. You can find me at @michaelbmaine. If you don’t use Twitter, feel free to send me an email or leave a comment below. 

For more information, please follow @michaelbmaine and @menrvalabs 

http://www.twitter.com/michaelbmaine

http://www.twitter.com/menrvalabs

We Need More Taglines Like This. Thanks @griley

Last night I attented the TEDxSanAntonio mixer and was fortunate enough to meet George Riley (@griley), one of the people that makes the official TED happen. At the end of the evening, he passed me his business card. This is the back of that card. If only more businesses had taglines like this. If only more businesses lived this type of philosophy. If only more businesses operated like this. Think of what we could accomplish together.

Other people I lucky to see again included:

@doingmedia
@TEDxSanAntonio
@writeontime
@kitestringbyday
@julianaperez
@benyc440 

Classroom Behavior—There's an App For That

Check out a friend of a friend’s iPhone application to monitor classroom behavior. That’s him, Derrick Brown, on the news showcasing his new application. This is an example of somebody using entrepreneurship and technology to drive results. Good luck Derrick!