Alumni of the MA in Leadership for Sustainability (MALS) reunited on 17 November to mark 10 years since the start of their degree. Five members of the cohort returned to campus for one and a half days of discussion and reflection, with the sixth member, Katherine Rethy, joining from Canada via Skype.

Katherine remarked on the value of their ongoing connection: “I appreciate my classmates and our professors and how they continue to encourage and support me in my work and life after all these years. I live in Canada and it is quite extraordinary to know that we can continue conversations and learning experiences begun long ago, even across an ocean and a 10 year time span.”

This sentiment was echoed by the other cohort members, who are now planning a reunion where they will all meet in person next year, when Katherine will be visiting Scotland.

The MA in Leadership for Sustainability was a 2 year, part-time programme offered by the Department of Management Learning and Leadership (DMLL). There were six residential workshops, including one on Practising Sustainability held at Ennerdale, and two online. Topics covered included leadership, systemic thinking, power, theories of change, diversity, corporate responsibility, international development and multiple aspects of sustainability. The course benefitted from contributing speakers from across Lancaster University, as well as some visitors.

The MA was based on the principles and practices of action research, and all assignments were developed from learning and change projects participants undertook in their organizations, communities and wider lives. The educational approach was highly participative and invited participants to develop an engaged learning community.

Professor Emerita Judi Marshall, Programme Director, commented: “It’s a great testimony to the MALS alumni that they have maintained active contact in the eight years since they graduated. The reunion gave us all some space to review how we are acting for change from our different work and life situations, and to offer each other challenging questions and support as we did on the programme.”

Sustainability remains high on the agenda for Lancaster University Management School, with our Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business at the heart of transdisciplinary research on sustainability.

The cohort members, pictured above in 2011 are Gail Capstick, Mark Atherton, Katherine Rethy, Peter Jackson, Angela Towers and Jonathan Emptage; along with Professor Judi Marshall, Professor John Burgoyne and Catherine Southworth from the programme team.