Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility

Mission

CESR empowers current and future business leaders to drive solutions to environmental, social, and ethical challenges.

Vision

The CU Boulder Leeds School of Business is a globally recognized leader for innovative student programs, research, and partnerships that contribute toward a more sustainable, inclusive, and ethical world. 

Our work depends on generous donations of time, knowledge, and resources. We're excited to share stories of impact with the community that makes it all possible!

 2023 CESR Impact Report

CESR’s programs serve Leeds students, faculty research and the business community in three key areas:

  • Business Solutions to Environmental Challenges
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
  • Ethical Leadership

We do this by developing values-driven leaders (our students) who will propel business forward to benefit all stakeholders, supporting innovative faculty research, and partnering with organizations to integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into boards, corporate strategy, and reporting. 

CESR was founded in 2007 in response to the Leeds Family’s naming gift mandate that the four pillars of business ethics, corporate social responsibility, diversity and inclusion, and sustainability be incorporated throughout the school’s curriculum. In 2017, Dean Sharon Matusik created the related Social Responsibility and Sustainability (SRS) division, which houses faculty who teach core courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels to ensure that all students learn about ethics and social responsibility, and elective courses that delve deeper into questions of ethical leadership, sustainable operations, social entrepreneurship and more. 

Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

At CESR, we strive to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into everything we do, from providing experiential learning opportunities for students to supporting world-class research.

  • We provide CESR Research Fellowship Grants to faculty pursuing projects that relate to our three pillars, one of which is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We also recognize research excellence in this topic with our Highest Impact Paper and Best Paper prizes. Learn more about the projects our grants have enabled and the papers we have recognized on our Research Excellence page.
  • We offer stipends to make participation in any cost-bearing experiential learning opportunities available to all students, regardless of financial means.
  • We offer Diversity in ESG Leadership Scholarships for our Certificate in ESG Strategy executive program that enable professionals from diverse backgrounds to invest in their development and move into corporate sustainability roles.
  • We strive to feature speakers and judges who bring diverse perspectives and reflect the identities of all our students to participate in our experiential learning opportunities.