April 15 — A Discussion of Branding in the Nonprofit Sector
This event featured Jeff Swystun, global director, Interbrand Foundation. The Social Enterprise Club empowers students and inspires the Columbia Business School community to create social value in private and public enterprises.
Presented jointly by the Social Enterprise Club and Marketing Association of Columbia.
April 14 — Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Presents: CSR Inside and Out
Robert Jonardi and Julie Hoesterey shared their unique perspectives as consultants and internal CSR practitioners on companies’ increased attention to corporate social responsibility. Deloitte's Environment & Sustainability service line offers advisory services in the areas of corporate accountability and responsibility, sustainability reporting and assurance, integration of sustainability into existing business processes and practices, and climate change/emissions trading services.
April 8 — Energy for Sustainable Development: Fuelling the Future
Susan McDade, manager, Sustainable Energy Program, UNDP was the featured speaker.
Presented by the Energy Club.
April 5 — MIDI Presents Robert Dewing on "The Equator Principles"
Robert Dewing visited campus to discuss the private sector Equator Principles (EP) initiative, the current status of implementation, and their estimated impact. In 2003 Citigroup worked with three other banks to develop common principles for addressing environmental and social issues related to the projects they finance. The guidelines were modeled off the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank approach, and require environmental management plans (EMPs) for sensitive projects to ensure that they protect natural habitats, protect the rights of indigenous peoples, and safeguard against child and forced labor.
April 1 — CORPS Fellowship Happy Hour
April 1 — State of SRI and CSR in Europe
Matt Christensen, executive director of Eurosif, the European Sustainable and Responsible Investment Forum, discussed the state of SRI and CSR in Europe. Eurosif is the pan-European stakeholder network for promoting and developing sustainable and responsible investment, created in 2001 as an initiative of five European Social Investment Forums (SIFs) from France, the German-speaking countries, Italy, the Netherlands, and the UK, with support from the European Commission's DG Employment and Social Affairs.
Co-sponsored by the European Society.
March 24 — A Panel Discussion on "The Business of Charter Schools"
Pearl Rock Kane, associate professor of education, Teachers College, and director of the Klingenstein Center for Independent School Education moderated a panel on the business of charter schools, featuring: Dale Robinson Anglin, director of resource development for New Community Corporation and a founder of the Cesar Chavez Public Charter High School for Public Policy in Washington, D.C.; Norman Atkins, co-founder and executive director of North Star Academy Charter School of Newark, NJ; Doug McCurry, executive director of Achievement First and a founder of the Amistad Academy; Evan Rudall, a Columbia Law School student and founder/co-director of Roxbury Preparatory Charter School; and Bill Triant, a former high school teacher for Boston Public Schools and an associate at Leeds Weld & Co.
Organized by the Social Enterprise Club (SEC) and The Education Forum (EdForum).
March 23 — Social Enterprise Club Happy Hour
The CORPS Kickoff.
March 4 — Charter Schools: What are they? Why are they popular? What is the future of charter schools?
Sarah Scrogin ’03 hosted this discussion on charter schools.
Sponsored by The Education Forum (EdForum) Discussion Series.
February 26 — New Paradigms for Corporate Social Responsibility
Chandran Nair, chairman of the Asia Pacific region for Environmental Resources Management, Inc. (ERM), explained why corporate social responsibility is important, emphasized the new paradigms that corporations must deal with in an increasingly troubled and polarized world, and highlighted a new trend toward Corporate Social Accountability (CSA). ERM is one of the world's leading providers of environmental consulting services, with offices in 37 countries throughout Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the United States.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Program and the Chazen Institute for Global Business.
February 23 — The Education Forum Panel Discussion: Issues of Implementation
"No Child Left Behind" was enacted in 2002 and remains a source of great controversy. This panel discussed the concrete impact the law is having on the way schools are run, teachers are hired, and students are taught.
Co-sponsored by The Education Forum (EdForum) and The Youth Justice Education.
February 19 — The Business Case for Values-Based Leadership
Ray Horton, director of the Social Enterprise Program, moderated this panel on how values and ethical conduct affect leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship featuring Georg Kell, executive head, United Nations Global Compact; Stephen Jordan, vice president and executive director, US Chamber of Commerce Center for Corporate Citizenship; and Nigel Thompson, executive director, economic and development strategy, Merck & Co.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Program and the Net Impact Professionals Chapter.
February 18 — Microfinance Informal Coffee Hour with Dr. Antonio Vives, Manager, Inter-American Development Bank
Dr. Antonio Vives, deputy manager, financial markets and private enterprise, IADB Sustainable Development Department, discussed microfinance.
February 17 — John Mackey, Founder & CEO, WholeFoods Market: A New Business Paradigm
John Mackey, founder and CEO, WholeFoods Market, presented "A New Business Paradigm."
Sponsored by Global Social Venture Competition, Social Enterprise Club, and Columbia Entrepreneurs Organization.
February 12 — Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas with David Bornstein
David Bornstein, a journalist covering social innovation, discussed his new book, How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas. He told the story of Ashoka founder, Bill Drayton, and profiled social entrepreneurs from around the world, many of whom are Ashoka Fellows.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club.
February 12 — Increasing Capital Flows to Africa: James A. Harmon, CEO, Harmon & Associates
James A. Harmon, CEO, Harmon & Co., and former CEO, Export-Import Bank, discussed his report “Commissions Report on Capital Flow to Africa,” delivered in his capacity as chairman. He expressed: "It is a document of which I am proud, because it offers a comprehensive and bold strategy to accelerate Africa's growth and integration into the global economy. This goal, if achieved, will benefit not only millions of African men and women but also, in many respects, the people of the United States."
Presented by the Africana Club.
February 10 — CORPS Fellowship Information Session
This information session covered the CORPS Fellowship Program application process, including eligibility, selection criteria, and hints for identifying a quality nonprofit internship. The CORPS Fellowship provides a financial subsidy to MBA students contributing financial, analytical, and management skills as summer interns at nonprofit and public social sector organizations.
February 5 — Merck & Co: Corporations and Corporate Social Responsibility
Linda M. Distlerath, Ph.D., J.D., vice president, Global Health Policy, Merck & Co., Inc.
February 5 — Socially Responsible Investing Featuring Frank Dixon, Managing Director, Innovest Strategic Value Advisors
Innovest Strategic Value Advisors is an internationally recognized investment research and advisory firm specializing in analyzing companies' performance on environmental, social, and strategic governance issues, with a particular focus on their impact on competitiveness, profitability, and share price performance.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club.
January 27 — Social Enterprise Club Welcome Cocktails
The Social Enterprise Club welcomed the incoming January students. Students met their fellow MBA students and learned how to get involved in the Club and Net Impact.
November 25 — Kenneth Cole: Chairman & CEO, Kenneth Cole Productions
Guests learned how Kenneth Cole started his business, discussed the company's ongoing dedication to social responsibility, and participated in a book signing for Footnotes.
Presented by The Retail Club of Columbia Business School for All Students.
November 21 — Ashoka Fellows Panel
Ashoka is the global nonprofit on a mission to develop the profession of social entrepreneurship around the world by identifying extraordinary individuals with unprecedented ideas for change in their communities. Ashoka makes investments through stipends and professional services that allow "Ashoka Fellows" to focus full time on their ideas for leading social change in education and youth development, health care, environment, human rights, access to technology, and economic development.
Sponsored by the Social Enterprise Club.
November 19 — MIDI Career Panel: Discover Your Life's Work
Josh Klenoff, author of Essential Questions: A Guide to Creating Your Life Plan, led an interactive workshop on discovering a supremely rewarding career path that leads to day-to-day fulfillment, meaningfulness, and stimulation.
Sponsored by MIDI.
November 18 — CSR at Microsoft
Dan Bross, director of community outreach, Law and Corporate Affairs, Microsoft led this lunchtime discussion about corporate social responsibility initiatives.
Sponsored by the SEC and the SEP.
November 17 — Young Alumni Council Career Panel
Alumni working in social enterprise, media, investment management, restructuring, and marketing discussed how to structure and customize the off-campus career search.
November 11 —NESsT: Social Enterprise in Emerging Markets
NESsT is an international, nonprofit organization that works to strengthen the financial independence of civil society organizations (CSOs). From regional offices in Budapest (Hungary) and Santiago (Chile), NESsT applies a philanthropic investment approach to support social enterprise in emerging market countries. Through the NESsT Venture Fund, the organization invests in a portfolio of social enterprises to help strengthen their missions and advance their financial sustainability by generating their own revenue.
Presented by the International Development Initiative (IDI).
October 24 — Second Annual Social Enterprise Conference: Doing Well by Doing Good: Achieving Blended Value in Business
Gary Hirshberg, president and CEO, Stonyfield Farm, presented the keynote address at this conference, which highlighted corporate, not-for-profit, and government sectors efforts to generate financial, social, and environmental wealth through innovative business practices and partnerships.
October 10 — Nonprofit Consulting: Case Studies from the Field
Liz Maw ’11, strategic consultant, The Bridgespan Group, presented case studies from the field. The Bridgespan Group is a not-for-profit strategic consulting firm focused exclusively on the nonprofit sector. The firm brings leading-edge strategies and tools from the private sector to address the challenges and opportunities facing nonprofit organizations and foundations. While for-profit approaches provide a powerful starting point, Bridgespan recognizes that the nonprofit sector is different and requires distinctive strategies for producing results. Bridgespan was created to meet that need.
October 10 — Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC) Annual Symposium
The Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC) brought together social ventures and investors with faculty and students from the nation's leading business schools to explore issues relevant to nonprofit and for-profit social entrepreneurs and investors at this fall symposium. The symposium explored capital markets trends affecting social entrepreneurs; highlighted the experience of social venture entrepreneurs who have successfully scaled; and allowed social venture entrepreneurs, social venture board members, academics, and students to build community with foundation, venture capital, and corporate investors from New York and around the world. Julius Walls, Jr., president and CEO of Greyston Bakery, gave a keynote address alongside distinguished panelists: Rob Bowers, Cambridge Associates; Laura Callanan, Rockefeller Foundation, Pro Ven Ex Fund; Maria Gotsch, New York City Investment Fund; Scott Griffith, CEO Zipcar; Josh Grotstein, Silicon Alley Seed Investors; Tod Hibbard, Fleet Development Ventures; Bill Lese, Braemar Capital; Paul Meyer, CEO Voxiva; and David Satterthwaite, CEO, Prisma Microfinance. GSVC aims to catalyze and promote the creation of financially self-sufficient or profitable social ventures.
October 7 — 2003 Botwinick Prize in Ethical Practice in the Professions
William McDonough received the prestigious Columbia Business School 2003 Botwinick Prize in Ethical Practice in the Professions. William received the award in recognition of his leadership in the areas of sustainable development and the environment in business and design. During the ceremony, the Business School also launched its new ethics curriculum, reiterating the importance of social and environmental accountability in today's global business environment.
September 13 — Annual Social Enterprise Retreat
This upstate social gathering offered new students a chance to meet second-year students, SEP staff, faculty, and other friends of the Program.