CESR is greeting the New Year with exciting activities and programs both in and out of class. We have been involved in setting up the C-200 Conference on February 3, a one-day conference that features women CEOs who share their stories and wisdom with business students. Plans also are finalized for our Third Annual Conscious Capitalism Conference on March 7; Ken Thiry, CEO of DaVita  and Andrew Romanoff, senior advisor at International Development Enterprises and former Speaker of the House, Colorado General Assembly, head the list of inspiring speakers.

On the curriculum front, the heart of what we do, read below about the amazing success of our new company project competition that was kicked off this fall in Introduction to Business. I witnessed firsthand the almost palpable excitement among our freshmen when the winners were announced in Kevin McMahon's section! Also learn about the fascinating project developed by Francy Milner's students in her Business Solutions elective. For these and other classes we offer, we have been receiving attention for innovative curricula; please read an article I co-authored with Dean Ikenberry that was recently picked up by BusinessWeek.com. In the next newsletter we will cover our curricula efforts outside the business school and Kai Larsen's Privacy in the Age of Facebook, a CESR cross-listed class that has received substantial media attention!

As always, with gratitude for your support,

Donna Sockell, Director  

At the start of the Fall 2011 semester, CESR instructors initiated an exciting new Company Project Competition within the BCOR 1010 Introduction to Business course. Designed to encourage teamwork and build entrepreneurial spirit, the competition required students to invent a company and develop a basic business plan, incorporating concepts learned in the class. Throughout the semester, students in 24 discussion sections developed plans for a wide variety of businesses, including energy-saving electrical outlets, GPS tracking devices, student cleaning services, and many others.

On Monday evening, December 5, representatives from each discussion section presented their businesses in front of their peers and instructors, vying for first place honors within their lecture section.

Kevin McMahon, one of three BCOR 1010 instructors, commended their efforts, saying, "We were overwhelmed by the creativity, thoroughness, and passion each group demonstrated." Discussion Leader Doug Bennett was also impressed: "This was a terrific night and the young men and women performed admirably. To think that only a few months ago, most of them were in high school and here they were, presenting intelligently and with great poise."

Three teams, one from each lecture section, won first place honors. Winning teams in this first competition were "Pinslator" (device that translates a foreign language into an earbud), "E-Go" (electricity services for electric cars and taxis), and "Green Machine" (recycling).

"Everyone performed well, [so] selecting the winning presentations was downright painful," instructor Beth Cross lamented. Instructor Owen Borum added, "These performances were a credit to our students and they are a credit to our instructors and discussion leaders."  The winners received a unique, CESR silver water bottle trophy.  We look forward to experiencing "round two" of this competition in the Spring semester!   Read more here.  

I enjoy teaching BCOR 1010 because so much learning happens in so little time. In this introductory class, students develop a solid foundation of business skills and a perspective on business that goes beyond single-minded profit maximization. Whether students work for a large company or start their own business one day, these fundamentals and this foundation will serve them well.

This knowledge and perspective empowers our students to both understand the ethical ramifications of their actions as they relate to different stakeholder groups and to generally make better business decisions.This is my fifth semester teaching BCOR 1010, and I'm really looking forward to it. It is fun to play a central role in this learning experience with students and also be part of a team of more than a dozen excellent teachers in CESR that work very hard each semester to improve this class.

BCOR 1010 is challenging for each and every student, but when the semester is over (and students breathe a sigh of relief), they seem to really appreciate how much they have learned and the insights they have gained regarding the type of businessperson they aspire to be in the future. 

Job: Project Manager at Ashoka  Changemakers

Major: Sustainable Business

Year of Graduation: 2010

Hometown: Las Cruces, NM

How you are applying your Leeds and CESR education in the real world?   

Read Emily's response and full interview here.

Connect with CESR

"Becoming involved in CESR has been wonderful! It has allowed me to share my experience and vision for a healthier, more collaborative way of doing business as an entrepreneur." 

Click here to read more about Heidi's passion for sharing her experience with CESR students.