I hope this update finds you catching the spirit of a season of thankfulness, joy, and love. At CESR, we are thankful for so much, though we often are so busy we fail to take the time to reflect! To our extraordinarily passionate, dedicated and talented faculty, thank you for bringing our cutting edge curricula to life each and every day. To our staff, both within CESR and at Leeds, thank you for the time and great talents you use to hold us together. To our three amazing advisory boards, our generous donors, and all the executives who enrich our classes immeasurably with their real world insights, thank you for your support and keeping us pointed in the right direction! Finally, thank you to our extraordinary students, who challenge us all the time and make us proud: students who hold the promise of a future that knows no bounds.

The semester is coming to an end at its typically feverish pace. Faculty are overwhelmed with papers and tests and preliminary preparations for next semester; students are wondering how they can fit in all the work they have due. But all this work is well worth it, particularly when we discover that how we are training our students is what employers are seeking (see "Top Traits" article). Among other news, we have made great progress on the CESR@Leeds Stampede (see article at right), on participating in the redesign of the BCOR (required classes), and we are speaking regularly with the Curriculum Think Tank Consortium of schools we lead on best approaches to values, ethics, and social responsibility education. Much more to follow on these and other initiatives after the New Year!

From our families to yours, we wish you the most wonderful of holiday seasons and a new year filled with joy, health, success and peace.

With Warmest Regards,

Connie Duckworth

Former Goldman Sachs partner Connie K. Duckworth transformed herself from an investment banker to a social entrepreneur who invests in human potential. Her organization, ARZU, means "hope" in Dari and empowers destitute women weavers in rural Afghanistan. As pro bono Chairman and CEO, Connie has transformed ARZU from 30 weavers into a learning laboratory for holistic grassroots economic development, employing 700 women and providing access to education and basic healthcare.

On December 3rd, CESR and the CU Engineering Center sponsored a lunch and open lecture for Connie's visit to campus. Local business leaders and students from Leeds as well as Engineers without Borders and Engineering in Developing Communities programs attended the lecture.

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What insights can one glean from 75 directors of Fortune 500 companies together in one room at the majestic New York Metropolitan Club? To do just that, CESR's Executive Director, Donna Sockell, attended the Financial Times' Outstanding Directors Conference (FT-ODX) in October. FT-ODX is a directors-only conference covering the most challenging boardroom issues in a candid, off-the-record environment.  

"I had four central impressions from the conference, none of which was especially surprising. That said it was great to see the course materials we cover in our classes come alive while I was sitting the room. It was a great experience that will enrich what we teach our students, as we inject another healthy dose of reality into the classroom," said Donna.  

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Dee Perry

In front of a crowd of 170 Leeds' alumni, staff and faculty at the St. Julien Hotel on November 2nd, Dee Perry accepted the first ever CESR Service Award for exceptional service to CESR and for distinction in shaping the next generation of socially-conscious business leaders. CESR Executive Director, Donna Sockell, presented the award to Dee, the former CFO at McData Corporation and currently a CESR Board Member, an executive coach in CESR's Leadership Challenges class, an official Professional Mentorship Program mentor, and an unofficial mentor to many students.  

"Not only is Dee extraordinarily talented, she serves an outstanding role model for our students of generosity, passion for making the world a better place, and compassion for others. She embodies the true spirit of CESR," said Donna Sockell.

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Chris Fenton

Leeds' graduate Chris Fenton has a dream job in the sports world as the Season Ticket Service Coordinator for Spurs Sports & Entertainment in San Antonio, Texas. Although he's more than three years out of school and busy building his career, Chris hasn't forgotten the lessons he learned about business ethics in his CESR classes.  

"In a mid-sized company, it is impossible for management to make every decision in a fast-paced game night environment. Our principles of integrity, success and caring guide each employee to make the right decision for our customers, our company and the San Antonio community," says Chris. He recently made a gift to CESR with the hope that his support will encourage the development of more classes and programs which encourage students to learn about themselves and their beliefs.

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According to the 2012 Global IBM CEO Study of 1,700 CEOs Worldwide, CEOs are trying to attract and develop certain employee traits at their companies. According to the study, CEOs desire above all, leaders with strong ethics and values.  

"How affirming it is to know that what we believe our students must have to be successful leaders is also what CEOs are seeking for them to have!" remarked Catherine Milburn, Sr. Instructor and Associate Director of Curriculum for CESR.

Study Results 

Keith Johnson

Leadership Challenges graduate Keith Johnson, BA Finance, 2009, has an important role with NEERMAN, an NGO in India which monitors and evaluates international aid projects with specific subject matter expertise in water, environmental and hygiene issues. NEERMAN applies its expertise to the implementation of CSR activities, while Keith initiates business development as he seeks opportunities to build the brand through partnerships with local universities, capacity-building workshops and participation in conferences.

"As India becomes more of a donor country itself, there will be less development money directed here; yet at the same time, corporations are increasingly implementing CSR activities," says Keith.