Pioneer of sustainable business education, acquired by Presidio Graduate School in 2016.
Pinchot University was founded in 2002 by Gifford Pinchot III, Libba Pinchot, Sherman Severin, and Jill Bamburg as Bainbridge Graduate Institute. It was the first educational institution to offer an MBA in Sustainable Business, authorized by Washington's Higher Education Coordinating Board in November 2002. The university maintained a focus on sustainability and social justice throughout its operation, graduating hundreds of students with certificates, MBA, and MPA degrees.
Pinchot University received accreditation from the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) in August 2009. The institution operated as a private nonprofit graduate school with over 500 postgraduate students and a small administrative staff of 15 people.
In August 2016, Pinchot University was acquired by Presidio Graduate School, consolidating the two institutions' missions around sustainable solutions education. The acquisition preserved the legacy of pioneering sustainable business education while integrating programs into the broader Presidio framework.