I valued the community we created, which fostered incredible discussions and relationships. I couldn't have asked for a more interesting, committed, and intelligent group of people to work with.
- Grace Randazzo, Conservation Colorado, Fall 2018 Cohort
CCSR Program Structure, Learning Environment and Core Topics
The CCSR course is collaborative, interpersonal and experiential, with dialogue-based learning involving cohort members and subject matter experts. Through knowledgeable instructors and guest speakers, you’ll get practical, applicable best practices that can help you deliver maximum value back to your company, organization and the communities you serve.
Certificate – Upon completion of the program, students receive a non-credit, professional Certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility from the Center for Ethics on Social Responsibility (CESR) of the University of Colorado, Leeds School of Business.
Instructors – The course is led by Pete Dignan, a 3-time CEO of Certified B Corps, and features guest speakers with deep expertise and practical experience in CSR. The curriculum was developed by seasoned CSR professional Geri Mitchell-Brown.
Format – The course will be collaborative and experiential, with dialogue-based learning involving the instructors, cohort members and CSR experts.
Tuition – Tuition is $2,250. Since this is a non-credit course, no financial aid is available from the University of Colorado.
Apply – Please fill out the interest form below to set up a telephone interview with the instructor. This interview will serve to answer your questions and determine whether or not the course is a good fit for your background and needs.
Fall 2021 Details
We offer two cohorts, with one intended for Colorado-based professionals. Due to COVID-19, we are unsure whether the Wednesday night class will be held in-person in Boulder, or online. We hope to make this determination around July 1. The Tuesday evening class is always held online.
Schedule – Both courses will comprise approximately 28 hours of interactive class time, and will require up to 4 hours of outside reading and preparation each week.
This class is not self-paced, but rather meets via Zoom video conference weekly throughout the spring semester with 2 weeks off during the session. All sessions are recorded.
Tuesday Cohort
Tuesdays, 6:00-8:15 p.m. (MST), from August 31st to December 14th
Wednesday Cohort (we recommend this cohort if you're interested in expanding your network in Colorado)
Wednesdays, 6:00-8:15 p.m. (MST), from September 1st to December 15th
Location – Zoom video conference
Students – We will accept up to 20 professionals for each cohort. We received more than applications than space the cohort for the Spring 2021 session.
Registration deadline – August 15th (please note that the course often fills before this date, we recommend you apply as soon as possible)
The program’s core topics include:
- The role of ethics in CSR
- UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Compact
- Community engagement, corporate philanthropy, and social impact
- Employee engagement, volunteering, and donation matching
- Equity, diversity, and inclusion
- Environmental sustainability
- Financial perspectives, including ESG ratings
- The purpose of the corporation in society
- CSR alignment with business purpose and strategy
- CSR strategy models and frameworks
- Reporting, including GRI, TCFD, SASB, and CDP
- Certified B Corps, Public Benefit Corporations, and the B Impact Assessment
- The role of marketing and storytelling in stakeholder relations
- Regulation & compliance, the role of government in CSR, and policy advocacy
Check out this summary of a few courses from the Spring 2019 session.
This program shifted the way I approach my work, how I engage internal and external stakeholders, and how I advocate for systemic changes my organization and those I volunteer with can make, not only in our operations but how we do our work.
- Naomi Amaha, Vice President, Health Strategies, American Heart Association, Spring 2019 Cohort
B:CIVIC Scholarship
One Colorado recipient is granted a needs-based partial scholarship by B:CIVIC for participation in CCSR. The purpose of the B:CIVIC scholarship is to increase the engagement of community leaders in the field of corporate social responsibility bringing direct experience to inform their social impact work.
Requirements:
- Recipient must demonstrate financial need.
- Recipient must have 4 years of professional work experience.
- Nonprofit leaders are eligible to participate in the program, however, this scholarship is targeted toward individuals with a financial need who are working to advance social responsibility in a business setting (in a current or future role).
- Recipient must live in Colorado and/or in process to relocate to Colorado.
Preferences:
- Preference given to individuals who have demonstrated interest in the areas of business ethics, social responsibility and/or sustainability in their career to date.
- Preference given to individuals with experience working in community to advance social justice issues.
This application is for the Fall 2021 cohort, application deadline is August 1, 2021. Apply here.
