The business education sector is full of intrigue – with surprises about a campus, a building, history or even a name, still arising out of the blue. Associate Director Stephanie Mullins at specialist business education PR consultancy BlueSky Education uncovers some insights into nine institutions.

Good stories help to craft a business school’s reputation. Given our long and successful history supporting schools with their PR and communications goals – and countless campus visits – we’ve heard, crafted and helped to tell many compelling stories.

Here are nine interesting facts we’ve learnt about some top institutions along the way –

1. BI Norwegian Business School

There are around 120,000 bees on the roof of BI Norwegian Business School’s Oslo campus!

The bees are part of a project at BI that aims to use their huge roof – which is the size of almost three football pitches – to contribute to green infrastructure and increased biodiversity. The school is teaching their students about corporate social responsibility and the importance of being environmentally friendly, as well as practising it themselves.

2. ESMT Berlin

The historic main campus building of ESMT Berlin formerly housed the state council building of the East German government. This impressive building, next to Berlin city palace, is now home to the highest-ranked business school in Germany.

3. Alliance Manchester Business School

Did you know that Alliance Manchester Business School is the largest business and management school in the UK? It happened in 2004 when the school merged with The Victoria University of Manchester’s School of Accounting and Finance, UMIST’s School of Management and the Programme in Research in Science and Technology. Yet Manchester MBA students still have the option to study elective courses in centres around the world, including Dubai, Hong Kong, São Paulo, Shanghai and Singapore.

4. Nova School of Business and Economics

The campus of Nova School of Business and Economics has a direct connection to the beach! Even the classrooms have ocean views. The 90,000 m² campus of Nova SBE really does stand out as an idyllic scenario for a learning experience.

5. Nyenrode Business University

You may already know that Nyenrode Business University boasts a 13th-century castle, where they emphasize the value of living together, working together and networking for the development of responsible leaders – but did you know that that’s exactly where the institution got its name? Nijenrode Castle!

6. Vlerick Business School

Many business schools are named after an accomplished individual – but did you know Vlerick Business School is one of them? It was founded in 1953 by the renowned academic, entrepreneur and politician, Professor André Vlerick, and the institution has been leading innovation in business ever since.

7. Aalto University School of Business

If we’re talking about naming business schools, perhaps we should look a little more recently. On 1 January 2010, three renowned Finnish institutions – the Helsinki School of Economics, Helsinki University of Technology and the University of Art and Design Helsinki – merged and Aalto University started operating. A total of 1,600 entries were received for the name competition in 2008!

Then, in 2012, the name of the school was changed from the School of Economics to the Aalto University School of Business to better highlight the school’s broad operations in all fields of business, as well as give the School of Business a name that was similar in form to most world-class schools in this field.

8. MIP Politecnico di Milano

While most business schools claim a commitment to sustainable development, MIP Politecnico di Milano Graduate School of Business has achieved B Corp Certification. This prestigious recognition is awarded to companies that emerge for their commitment to sustainable development and building a more inclusive society. MIP Politecnico di Milano is the first Italian and only European business school to have been accredited and is just one of a few worldwide.

9. ESCP Business School

ESCP Business School remains the only business school in the world with campuses in six major business centres – London, Berlin, Paris, Turin, Madrid, and Warsaw. This year, London, Paris, Madrid, Berlin and Warsaw all appeared in the 2021 ‘Best Cities’ rankings. London won the top spot as the best city in the world… ESCP really does offer a unique type of cross-cultural business education.

All of these factors that make schools different or special can be a great asset to attract people to institutions, especially when it comes to communications and telling great stories.