Facilities and Research Activities
The Leeds School of Business houses several resources for the specific needs of business students. The facilities include: the William M. White Business Library and Information Commons, smart classrooms, the MBA Business Center, a student lounge, food center, faculty and administrative offices, the Business Research Division, the Robert H. and Beverly A. Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, the Real Estate Center, the Burridge Center for Securities Analysis and Valuation, and the Center for Business and Society.
The William M. White Business Library (ucblibraries.colorado.edu/business) and Information Commons provides students with a wealth of information pertaining to the business world. Students have access to the business and other libraries via the university libraries online catalog. Many databases are accessible through the wireless network and off campus. These databases, both CD- and web-based, contain a myriad of full-text magazines and journals; business periodical indexes; corporate annual, 10-k, and proxy reports of all the public companies in the United States; short profiles of both American and international companies; demographic and business statistics; industry and market information; and investment reports written by Wall Street analysts. Over 50 computers provide access to the databases and the Internet, and technology-outfitted team rooms are available for group study. Knowledgeable librarians are always available to help navigate the search for information. The Information Commons is open 24 hours, seven day per week and contains 30 of the 50 computers with a full suite of software. These are accessible to students, faculty, and staff of the university. In addition, Leeds has 25 technology equipped team rooms. These rooms support group study and project work. They are available for reservation at leeds.colorado.edu/teamroom.
The White Business Library is part of the University of Colorado library system, which includes more than two million volumes, more than five million microforms, and more than 24,000 periodicals and serials. The system is also a full depository for United States government, international, and state documents.
All classrooms in the Leeds School of Business are electronic and equipped with computers; Microsoft Office applications including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Access; projection systems; and multimedia capabilities including video, cable, and Internet connections.
Business Research Division +
Established in 1915, the Business Research Division is one of the earliest organized state service-oriented bureaus in the country.
The Business Research Division conducts business, economic, and market research that contributes to the efficient use of Colorado’s resources and increases interest in and awareness of the Leeds School of Business. It also is the umbrella organization for the Rocky Mountain Trade Adjustment Assistance Center (RMTAAC) and the Colorado Association of Manufacturing and Technology (CAMT). Through its annual Colorado Business Economic Outlook Forum, held in December, the division has established a base of knowledge that adds value to its work in other areas. In addition to providing companies and state agencies with information to help them make better-informed business and policy decisions, the division conducts research in a variety of areas, including government policy, technology, and real estate. It also prepares a Colorado leading economic indicator series, The Leeds Business Confidence Index, and collects local economic data for various city and county organizations. Research results are distributed through presentations and reports; a quarterly newsletter, the Colorado Business Review; and the division’s website.
Funding for center activities comes from the Leeds School of Business, the university, state agencies, the federal government, state and local business firms, and from the sale of research products and services.
The centers provide a variety of services, including contract research and support for faculty research, both theoretical and applied. In addition, the centers provide outreach and community service activities and consulting support to small and medium-sized businesses in Colorado.
RMTAAC is one of 12 centers across the nation funded by the Department of Commerce to assist U.S. manufacturers that have been hurt by foreign competition. The assistance is provided on a cost-share basis where RMTAAC typically pays more than 50 percent of the cost.
The purpose of the Trade Adjustment Assistance program is to retain and create U.S. manufacturing jobs. From its location in Boulder, RMTAAC assists manufacturers in the Rocky Mountain region. A typical client has $10 million in annual sales and 100 employees.
Once a firm has been certified as eligible for assistance, a strategic business plan is developed to improve the firm’s competitiveness. Necessary technical expertise is then brought in to implement the recommendations in the plan. Assistance, which normally takes two to three years, can be provided in all the functional areas.
CAMT is a not-for-profit organization designed to help manufacturers improve quality, productivity, and marketing while reducing costs. CAMT’s mission is to provide business solutions that give manufacturers a competitive edge. Partial funding is provided by the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership and state resources, and some services are available at no cost. Assistance includes hands-on consulting, project management, seminars, industry roundtables, and equipment demonstrations. CAMT professionals have expertise in business and engineering, and also provide access to a network of service providers.
Academic Centers +
In addition to the Business Research Division, the school has five centers linking academic programs and the business community—the endowed Robert H. and Beverly A. Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, the Center for Real Estate, the Burridge Center for Securities and Valuation, the Curriculum Emphasis on Social Responsibility (CESR), and the Center for Business Integration.
The Robert H. and Beverly A. Deming Center for Entrepreneurship +
The Deming Center for Entrepreneurship starts with a rich academic program led by thought leaders in entrepreneurship. The program is designed to help students develop the intellectual framework necessary for successful entrepreneurial decision making. The in-class experience is enhanced by a beyond-the-classroom experience that provides relevant, hands-on learning.
At the Deming Center, students have an opportunity to be among the pioneers exploring the future of entrepreneurship—sustainable venturing. More than just “greentech” or “cleantech,” sustainable venturing is about harnessing the knowledge, power, and passion of entrepreneurs to create a new generation of businesses that strengthen rather than deplete the environmental and economic resources of our planet.
Through Deming Center activities and the entrepreneurship curriculum, students get a head start, building a strong foundation in accounting, finance, management, marketing, operations, and systems. They study each of these subjects in the context of entrepreneurial decision making. Some of those activities include:
Cleantech Venture Challenge (CVC)—An annual international business plan competition that draws international graduate teams and is designed to be the premier student competition showcasing emerging opportunities in the cleantech sector.
Sustainable Opportunities Summit (SOS)—An annual summit that brings a diverse group of leaders from major corporations, emerging and entrepreneurial companies, and investment firms to share strategies companies can adopt to take advantage of this growing field. The summit features sustainable enterprise success stories in a wide range of industries including clean energy, organic food, computer manufacturing, green building, banking, and venture capital.
RASEI-Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute—A critical aspect of the Renewable And Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI) is commercialization: moving new technologies into clean and renewable energy markets as rapidly as possible. The Energy Institute’s business program facilitates increased commercialization through start-up incubation, research and deployment collaborations, early student engagement, strategic giving opportunities, and increased networking between the CU community and the business community at large. RASEI has partnered with the Deming Center, Tech Transfer Office, and other institutions on and off campus to create a hub for cleantech commercialization and start-ups.
CIMB, Colorado Initiative in Molecular Biotechnology—The Deming Center and the Leeds School are currently assessing opportunities to partner with the new Colorado Initiative in Molecular Biotechnology, CU’s Biotech Initiative. Led by Nobel Laureate. Tom Cech and Leslie Leinwand, the Biotech Initiative will focus on key research priorities, as well as seeking to address the gap in education between “the bench and the bedside.” Traditionally, the gap has been the business skills and expertise that help bring transformational scientific research and medical breakthroughs through the process of regulatory approval and commercialization
TREP Café—This student run and managed specialty coffee and food service is sponsored by the Deming Center and is run and managed by undergraduates.
Continued national recognitions affirm the quality of the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship’s program and its success creating innovative new areas of entrepreneurial opportunity. The undergraduate and graduate program has been ranked among the top 20 nationally in U.S. News and World Report’s rankings in Business Specialties Entrepreneurship for the last 10 years.
The center’s work in sustainable venturing, natural and organic products, and renewable energy keep it at the forefront of entrepreneurship education. Collaborations across campus, in the business community, and with national government labs have established a model for the intersection of entrepreneurial creativity, technology, and innovation.
Successful collaborations include CU-Boulder’s Technology Transfer Office, Renewable Energy Initiative, Entrepreneurial Law Clinic, Music Entrepreneurship Program, Silicon Flatirons Telecommunications Program, and College of Engineering & Applied Science. Partnerships with entrepreneurial incubators, innovation centers, and government agencies include: CTEK Venture Centers, Boulder Innovation Center, Naturally Boulder Products Task Force, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).
The center’s internal business plan competitions and existing programs continue to grow and thrive. Included among those are the undergraduate Certificate of Excellence in Entrepreneurial Studies, the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization, the annual Evening with Entrepreneurs event, and the TREP Café. At the MBA level, the Graduate Entrepreneurs Association supports activities to encourage and promote student activity in entrepreneurship including Learn from the Best and the annual Entrepreneurship Retreat. MBAs also continue the legacy of Entrepreneurial Solutions, a for-profit, student-run consulting firm staffed by a select group of MBA students. It serves the business community by providing high value solutions that rely on the expertise of each year’s team.
Real Estate Center
The Real Estate Center, founded in 1995, is supported by an industry council with the goal of advancing academic excellence in real estate education and scholarship. The center oversees the school’s real estate teaching programs and advises the faculty in designing an integrated curriculum at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Course work is drawn from the law school, the colleges of architecture and engineering, construction management, and others.The center creates real-world experiences for students by providing project course work and being a resource for securing internships, mentors, and jobs. It also provides support for faculty teaching and research activities in real estate and, through the Real Estate Foundation, assists the university with its real estate portfolio.
Burridge Center for Securities Analysis and Valuation +
The Burridge Center for Securities Analysis and Valuation is dedicated to encouraging and supporting the creation and dissemination of new knowledge about the world financial markets with an emphasis on the U.S. financial markets by:
• facilitating the exchange of ideas and knowledge between professional investment managers, finance scholars, policy makers, and the investing public;
• identifying critical research issues in the theory and practice of security analysis and valuation; and
• encouraging and supporting rigorous qualitative and quantitative research on topics relevant and useful to money managers, valuation experts, and finance academics.
Curriculum Emphasis on Social Responsibility +
The Curriculum Emphasis on Social Responsibility (CESR) was established to help students to become the outstanding business leaders of tomorrow by preparing them to meet the ethical challenges posed by a highly competitive, globally connected business world. It is the purpose of CESR to oversee the inculcation of values discussions in classes throughout the undergraduate and graduate curricula at the Leeds School of Business.
Currently, CESR is responsible for the infusion of values through the required undergraduate business curriculum. The program is directly responsible for the staffing and coordination of all sections of BCOR 1010 (freshman level); the development, staffing, and coordination of courses materials and course delivery for BCOR 3010 (junior level); offering assistance to BCOR 2000 (sophomore level) instructors in the development of class materials; the oversight and coordination of BCOR 4000 (senior level) offerings; and the scheduling and execution of elective courses such as Leadership Challenges: Exercises in Moral Courage and Business Solutions to Global Poverty: Learning through Service and Sustainable Operations.
Center for Business Integration +
The Center for Business Integration (CBI) creates opportunities for local business people, business students, and faculty to collaborate in solving business problems. Through project-based learning, CBI connects the experience provided by local companies, the knowledge created by the university, and the work done by students at CU-Boulder. CBI brings real world projects to the classroom for local companies. After projects have been selected, CBI provides support to faculty and students during project planning and execution.
CBI seeks projects that provide students with valuable experience that will be relevant to them as future employees. Successful past projects include: supply-chain audits and recommendations for improvement; website design; software selection; information system review and recommendations for improvement; new product design; business process review; internal control review; database design; product costing; business report design; business intelligence; and many more.
Career Opportunities +
Leeds School of Business graduates are prepared for positions in the following fields:
Accounting—public, private, nonprofit, and governmental
Banking and other financial institutions
Consulting
Corporate financial management
Entrepreneurship and small business management
Financial analysis
Human resources management
Information systems
International business
Investment management
Management consulting and organization management
Marketing and sales management
Nonprofit management
Operations management
Real estate
Recreation and tourism management
Retailing
Taxation
Technology management
Transportation
Venture capital
Other graduates hold positions in fields as diverse as business journalism, public relations, city planning, chamber of commerce and trade association management, college administration, and government. The entrepreneurial area of application prepares students to start their own business ventures to take positions in emerging growth companies and the venture capital industry.
Study Abroad +
Study abroad programs are available for students interested in international business or in cultural experiences abroad. The college-sponsored London Seminar in International Finance and Business is a five-week-long program held each summer in the financial district of London and is open to juniors, seniors, and graduate students.
Student Organizations +
Listed below are organizations that promote professional interests and provide recognition of scholastic attainment:
AIESEC, international business association
Alpha Kappa Psi, professional business society
AYI (Academy of Young Investors)
Beta Alpha Psi, national honorary and professional accounting society
Beta Gamma Sigma, national honorary scholastic society in business
BizChicks, undergraduate women in business organization
CEO (Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization)
CUAMA, student chapter of the American Marketing Association
CU Entrepreneurship Organization
CUFMA (CU Financial Management Association)
Delta Nu Alpha, honorary transportation society
Delta Sigma Pi, professional business society
Doctoral Business Student Association
Graduate Entrepreneurs Association
Graduate Women in Business
IBC (International Business Club)
ISO (Information Systems Organization)
Leadership Council
MBA Association
MBA Entrepreneurial Solutions LLC
MBSA (Minority Business Students Association)
Phi Chi Theta, professional business and economics society
Real Estate Club
RMIM (Rocky Mountain Investment)
SAM (Student Association of Management)
SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management)
Sigma Iota Epsilon, professional and honorary management society
Student Business Board
Leeds School of Business Student Government +
As the student governing body of the Leeds School of Business, the Business Board functions as a liaison between the students and the administration. The board helps formulate policies and represents students’ interests in many different areas. Thirteen representatives are elected from the student body and serve for two semesters. Three board members, usually officers, are required to serve on the Leeds School of Business Academic Ethics Committee.
Graduation Recognition Ceremony +
Every December and May, the Office of the Dean and the Leeds Business Student Government sponsor a recognition ceremony honoring the graduating class, in addition to the university-wide commencement. Graduates and their families are invited to attend.
