(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.
~ Fall 2018, Grace Randazzo, Conservation Colorado
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.
In the course you will:
- Learn practical applications and create a “toolbox” of resources
- Hear from local, regional and global experts that will spark ideas and insights
- Expand your community of peers, making valuable professional connections
- Study with CESR, the regional University leader in CSR education, programs and research
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.
Fall 2020 Details
Due to COVID-19, we have decided to move all sessions online to ensure the health and safety of our students, instructor, and guest speakers. We currently offer two online options, with one primarily intended for Colorado professionals.
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 fall semester with 2 weeks off during the session. All sessions are recorded.
Tuesday Cohort
- Tuesdays, 6:00-8:00 p.m. (MST), from September 1st to December 15th
Wednesday Cohort (if you'd like to build your network in Colorado, we recommend this cohort)
- Wednesday evenings (exact time TBD), from September 2nd to December 16th
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 2020 session.
Application deadline – August 18, 2020