The Leeds School houses resources for the specific needs of business students. The facilities include: the Burridge Center for Securities Analysis and Valuation, the Business Research Division, Career Connections, the Center for Education on Social Responsibility, the Center for Research on Consumer Financial Decision Making, Eurest Dining, the MBA Business Center, the Office of Diversity Affairs, the Real Estate Center, the Robert H. and Beverly A. Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, smart classrooms, student lounges, Trep Café, Undergraduate Student Services, William M. White Business Library and Information Commons, and other amenities.
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 days 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/teamrooms.
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 equipped up to campus “smart” classroom technology standards. Technologies in a typical Leeds classroom include: a desktop computer loaded with Microsoft Office Suite applications, video projection system, ceiling speakers for audio, DVD/VCR, iClicker base station, campus cable, and both wired and wireless Internet connections. All classrooms have the flexibility to support a personal laptop with connectivity in place to integrate with the video projection and sound system.
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 offer 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 11 centers across the nation funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce to manage the Trade Adjustment Act for Firms (TAAF) Program, which helps import-impacted U.S. firms develop and implement business recovery strategies to strengthen their competitiveness in the global marketplace. The TAAF Program is a cost-sharing federal grant program that pays a portion of professional consultant expenses or industry-specific expert services for projects that improve a firm’s competitiveness, thereby increasing sales and creating U.S. jobs. Benefits of the program include up to $75,000 in grant funds and 50/50 cost sharing for strategic projects.
CAMT is a statewide manufacturing assistance center dedicated to increasing the competitiveness of Colorado manufacturers. The center’s manufacturing experts and industry resource network provide expertise in results-driven methodologies, best practices, and innovative technologies designed to increase profitability. As a public/private partnership partially funded by the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership, government, not-for-profit, and industry resources are brought together to offer comprehensive programs and services, including company assessments, customized training and workshops, and hands-on facilitation and implementation.
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 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:
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 in Entrepreneurial Studies, the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization, 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 Speaker Series, 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.
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.
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:
CESR’s goal is to help students become outstanding business leaders of tomorrow by preparing them to meet the ethical challenges posed by a highly competitive, globally-connected business world. Accordingly, CESR oversees the inculcation of values and social responsibility discussions in classes throughout the undergraduate and graduate curricula at the Leeds School of Business.
CESR is directly responsible for course development, staffing, and coordination of the required courses: Introduction to Business (freshman level) and Business Applications of Social Responsibility (junior level). CESR offers cutting edge electives such as CESR 4000 Leadership Challenges: Exercises in Moral Courage and CESR 4005 Business Solutions for the Developing World: Learning through Service. Undergraduates wishing to focus on CESR-related topics may earn the Certificate in Socially Responsible Enterprise (SRE). At the MBA level, CESR is responsible for the required Socially Responsible Enterprise course, and electives such as MBAX 6845 Social Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets and MBAX 6825 Topics in Sustainable Business, two of the four options for MBAs to acquire the Sustainability Portfolio.
CESR developed the Professional Mentorship Program and houses several initiatives that support the mission of developing values-driven business leaders of tomorrow.
Leeds School of Business graduates are prepared for positions in the following fields:
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.
The Professional Mentorship Program (PMP) is a unique program that offers one-on-one professional mentoring to current undergraduate students. The program was initiated in 2009 to enhance the undergraduate academic experience of Leeds students, as well as to prepare and inspire them to best meet future challenges in the professional world. PMP provides an outstanding opportunity for Leeds students to interact with the “real world professionals” and business leaders they seek to become.
This two-year program matches students with executives or high-level business professionals who align by industry, geographic location, or functional area. To ensure a quality experience for both students and mentors, the PMP provides workshops, training, and additional support for participants throughout the program.
Through this program, students gain an additional level of advising and career counseling from a business professional. Through the mentoring relationships, students can explore choice of majors, potential for graduate school, work-life balance, effective networking, and effective job search strategies.
Other potential benefits of being involved in the PMP include:
Website: http://Leeds.colorado.edu/pmp
E-mail: professionalmentor@colorado.edu
Phone: 303-492-5881
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.
Listed below are undergraduate organizations that promote professional interests and provide recognition of scholastic attainment:
Leeds Council is the governing body of the Leeds School of Business that strives to serve, support, and represent the student body. The council also works to make Leeds a better business school through social, academic, and professional programming. The council is made up of five primary committees and an executive board that control a significant portion of the Leeds student fees.
Two members of Leeds Council also serve as representatives on University of Colorado Student Government (CUSG) to voice the interests of business students at the main campus.
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.