The Center for Ethical and Sustainable Business
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Where Responsibility Meets Opportunity
For more than 60 years, the College of Business (CoB) at San Francisco State University has served as a regional catalyst for educating and inspiring future business leaders.
As part of the University's longstanding commitment to equity and social justice, the CoB is creating a regional Center for Ethical and Sustainable Business to leverage the growing momentum among conventional businesses to implement socially and environmentally responsible business practices. Our tagline, "Where Responsibility Meets Opportunity," reflects our mission of promoting positive social change by harnessing the dynamic energy of private enterprise.
The new center, located at the University's downtown campus in the heart of San Francisco, will serve as an innovative force for advancing social and environmental stewardship, acting as a hub for research, teaching, and outreach to the Bay Area business community. With more than 80% of all SF State graduates staying in the area to pursue careers with local companies, nonprofit organizations and government agencies, the College of Business sees a unique opportunity to broaden its impact throughout the region by preparing graduates to become successful "intrepreneurs," effective change agents who will guide and transform mainstream organizations on the path to global sustainability.
Recognized by The Aspen Institute as one of the world's top business schools integrating social and environmental issues into its curriculum, SF State was the first California State University campus to offer an MBA with an emphasis in sustainability. The CoB is seeking to build on this long-standing success by developing the Center for Ethical and Sustainable Business that meets the needs of the Bay Area business community, SF State students, faculty, and society at large.
The Center for Ethical and Sustainable Business at SF State will:
- Build long-term partnerships with local organizations to support managerial and executive-level training and development.
- Elicit input and participation by regional business leaders on sustainability issues and goals, identify and communicate best practices, and support the development of industry-specific sustainability strategies and programs.
- Enrich the undergraduate and graduate student academic experience through integration of real-life, hands-on engagement with Bay Area businesses, including those owned by members of low-income and underserved communities.
- Facilitate career opportunities for SF State students by promoting local internships, job placements, and alumni networking.
- Conduct and publish applied research using regional business data gathered through focus groups, interviews, and surveys of internal and external stakeholders.
- Provide a convenient downtown San Francisco location for facilitating cross-sector, multi-stakeholder collaboration around sustainable and ethical business issues and best practices—through forums, workshops, symposia, and community-wide gatherings.
