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Guidebook Ranks UW among Nation’s Top Green Colleges

May 21, 2012 — The University of Wyoming is again ranked among the nation's most environmentally responsible colleges, according to a guidebook published by the Princeton Review and the U.S. Green Building Council.

The LEEDS certified COB Building - home to the Sustainable Business Practices program

The ranking validates UW's special programs and initiatives to achieve a "green" campus, says Jim Scott, director of the UW Physical Plant and chairman of the Campus Sustainability Committee.

"This is the second consecutive year UW has received the recognition," Scott says. "It is rewarding to be recognized for our campus sustainability efforts, and it will let prospective students know the University of Wyoming is serious about its commitment to the environment."

President Tom Buchanan in 2007 signed the Presidents Climate Commitment, an initiative of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). Membership comes with a set of requirements, including reporting greenhouse gas reductions and energy efficiencies.

UW has developed a Climate Action Plan (CAP), Scott says, with goals to decrease greenhouse gas emissions 15 percent by 2015, 25 percent by 2020 and 100 percent by 2050. The CAP proposes a plan to achieve those targeted goals through education and outreach, energy and climate research projects, implementation of energy efficiency upgrades and initiatives, and integrating sustainability throughout the institution.

Read more here.

COB Students Featured in UW Student Success Profiles

Recent COB alumni Dan Adams and Westin Grabow are featured in UW Success Profiles. Click here to read their stories.

xxxx	Dan Adams	Westin Grabow

COB Faculty Member Receives Stewardship Award

May 4, 2012 — The University of Wyoming awarded President's Faculty Stewardship Awards to professors Larry Weatherford and Doug Hixon.

"When faculty members are willing to go above and beyond in building external relations, the fundraising programs for the university elevate to a higher level," says Ben Blalock, UW Foundation president. "Doug and Larry exemplify faculty members who represent the very best of what the University of Wyoming is all about and communicate that to external constituencies."

Larry Weatherford

"The joy donors feel when they give to the University of Wyoming is always enhanced by interactions with faculty and students because it helps them better understand the tremendous benefits of their philanthropy and opportunities to do even more," says Greg Dyekman, chairman of the UW Foundation Board of Directors. "When donors forge relationships on campus --particularly with faculty members -- they feel even more a part of the university's mission. This award honors those who have distinguished themselves by being the human links between donors and their university."

Each faculty member will receive $5,000; the college or department will receive $2,500; and the recipient can direct another $2,500 toward a university unit or club. The awards are funded by the University of Wyoming Foundation.

Read more here.

COB Alumni featured in Casper Star-Tribune's “Twenty Under 40”

Source

The 2012 list of "20 of Wyoming's most impressive and inspiring young people" identified by the Star-Tribune includes several COB alumni. Follow the links below to read more about each one:

xxxxx	Chad Craig
	Matt Grant
	Cassandra Hoffman
	Bryan Pederson

UW Business Students Participate in BBB Torch Awards

Business students at the University of Wyoming were instrumental in getting two Wyoming businesses nominated - and selected - for the prestigious Better Business Bureau Torch Awards for Business Ethics, presented April 24 in Loveland, Colo.

Alpha Kappa Psi Honor Society members Naomi Duprey, Kit Bartke, Pelar Conaway and Kaitlyn Davis prepared the nomination for BBB Torch Award winner Altitude Chophouse & Brewery in Laramie, while Kasey Watson, Blake Donoho, Kylie Haag and Kat Halsey prepared one for Puma Steel of Cheyenne.

WY students, along with business students from Colorado State University and the University of Northern Colorado, prepared entries on behalf of nominees, evaluating the ways in which the businesses promote the six TRUST! principles of EthicalEnterprising. These six principles are:

• Transformation at the Top
• Reinforce and Build
• Unite the Team
• Steer Performance
• Treasure People
• Enthusiastically Give Back!

"Our partnership with WY's College of Business provides students with experience in meeting and learning from owners and managers of ethical businesses in our area," said Carrie Rossman, director of the BBB Foundation, which presents the annual Torch Awards for Business Ethics.

Media Contact
Shelley Glause/Education & Outreach Manager
BBB Serving Northern Colorado/Wyoming
970-488-2037 / 800-564-0370 Ext. 112
sglause@wynco.bbb.org

Source

The American Marketing Association presents:

Click on the image to enlarge.

Journal Selects UW Economists for Best Paper Award

April 23, 2012 - The European Association of Environmental and Resource Economics (EAERE) has presented its "best paper of the year award" to University of Wyoming economists.

The award is for research by UW Economics Professors Dave Finnoff and Jason Shogren, and former graduate student Travis Warziniack, who is now with the U.S. Forest Service in Fort Collins, Colo. It recognizes exemplary research published during 2011 in the Environmental and Resource Economics (ERE) journal. The research is based on Warziniack's dissertation on the bioeconomics of invasive species.

The selection committee's citation reads, "A superb paper uniting a diversity of insights drawn from multiple disciplines to show how economics can address a major environmental issue in a sophisticated manner."

The journal's chief editor, Ian J. Bateman, describes the work as "a superb achievement that is a reflection of the excellent quality of your contribution to both ERE and the wider literature."

The award will be formally announced in June during the EAERE annual conference in Prague, Czech Republic.

Source

COB Student Named UW's Co-Outstanding Graduating Woman

April 20, 2012 - Megan Degenfelder, who will graduate in May with dual degrees in political science and economics, is the co-recipient of the Rosemarie Martha Spitaleri Award as the University of Wyoming's outstanding graduating woman.

The award, established in 1964, recognizes Degenfelder for exhibiting the finest leadership, academic integrity and citizenship qualities. She shares the award with Michaela Uhling of Saratoga. Sean Moran of Milford, Ohio, received the Tobin Award, honoring the outstanding graduating man.

Degenfelder is a Mortar Board chapter member and is the outgoing Associated Students of UW (ASUW) president. She has been involved with ASUW since her freshman year and will graduate with a 3.5 GPA.

One of her lasting legacies as ASUW president is helping to secure funding from the State Legislature -- and student fees -- for a $27 million improvement project to Half Acre Gym.

Read more here.

UW College of Business Students Meet with Warren and Jimmy Buffett

April 17, 2012 - Imagine sitting with billionaire Warren Buffett at a restaurant, listening to him talk business over root beer floats while Jimmy Buffett of "Margaritaville" fame gives an impromptu show at the same table.

That was the setting for 19 University of Wyoming College of Business finance students who attended a nearly five-hour session Friday, April 13, in Omaha, Neb., with Warren Buffett, widely regarded as one of the world's most successful investors.

The UW students, along with other invited students from around the country, met in Buffett's office of Berkshire Hathaway in Omaha, where he is the company's primary shareholder, chairman and CEO.

Buffett hosts hundreds of students each year for lunch and tours of Berkshire's Nebraska Furniture Mart and Borsheims Jewelry. The highlight, the students say, is an extended question-and-answer session with Buffett, whose goal is to inspire future business leaders.

Read more here.

View more images here.

COB Faculty Honored by University Disability Support Services

April 16, 2012 - University Disability Support Services (UDSS) presented its "Going the Extra Mile" award to University of Wyoming faculty, staff and departments.

They were recognized for "demonstrating qualities of knowledge, sensitivity and helpfulness in assisting students with disabilities at the University of Wyoming," says Brynn Elliot, UDSS communication access services coordinator.

"Going the Extra Mile" recipients are:

Nicole Ballenger, associate provost, Academic Affairs.

Denise Burke, associate dean, College of Law.

Susan Dewey, associate professor, Gender and Women's Studies.

Kurt Dolence, associate professor, School of Pharmacy.

Anton Kim, graduate assistant, Economics and Finance.

Woody Lundmark, manager, Carpentry Shop.

Richard McGinity, Bill Daniels Chair of Business Ethics, Department of Management and Marketing.

Mark Rehwaldt, assistant lecturer, Civil and Architectural Engineering.

Hilla Skiba, assistant professor, Economics and Finance.

Charlie Stevens, assistant professor, Management and Marketing.

Matt Winninger, website strategist, Institutional Marketing.

Source

Professor Ed Barbier Speaks at Global Challenges Conference

Wyoming Tribune Eagle features new Energy MBA

By Aerin Curtis
acurtis@wyomingnews.com

CHEYENNE - Degree options are increasing for students in the University of Wyoming's MBA program, thanks in part to Martin Saffer.
He is the director of the program, which has been undergoing  reorganization under his supervision.
"They wanted somebody who had an MBA and a business background who could just focus on the MBA program," he said.
Saffer has a history of running MBA programs, having previously been the associate dean of graduate programs at his alma mater, Lehigh
University, in Bethlehem, Pa.
He returned to Lehigh after a 30-year career with the Ford Motor  Company.
Vacationing in Wyoming helped draw him west when the director's position opened at UW, he said.
"(My wife) said to me, ‘Well, the only job you're qualified for in the state of Wyoming has become available. What do you want to do?'" he recalled.
When Saffer stepped in as director in 2010, it was the first time the position had not been filled by a rotating series of professors, he said.
"I'm here because I love MBA programs, and they were making some major changes," he said.
UW's MBA program was originally a little "vanilla," said UW professor of accounting Gary Fleischman. But it has been undergoing a renovation that has increased the number and kinds of offerings, he said.
Much of Saffer's work has been outside of the classroom, organizing the new pieces of the program and working with faculty.
"Because he has those executive skills, he's very easy to work with," Fleischman said. "He always tells you what's going on and is extremely level-headed."
In addition to classes, the MBA program has started to offer a  leadership program on Fridays, Saffer said. Those sessions bring in business leaders from surrounding communities to meet with MBA students.
The MBA program also offers students a summer opportunity to solve an industry-related problem with a team of classmates, Saffer said. The project gives students hands-on experience.
"I go out and meet with business leaders to find strategic initiatives that they would like investigated," he said.
In addition to the projects outside the classroom, which now includes etiquette work, the coursework also has been expanding.
There had been a longstanding partnership with the UW law school,  Saffer said. Now there are similar arrangements with engineering and pharmacy.
The newest of the group is set to be a degree with a focus on the energy sector, Saffer said.
"We're not just a one-resource state; we've got everything," he said. "Partnering with the School of Energy  Resources, we're able to complement the needs there and the great investment the state has made."
Two versions of the energy-related MBA are in the works and are set to start in the fall.
The shorter concentration offers students several energy management classes.
The almost two-year MBA in energy management has a wider range of courses, Saffer said.
One class he is anticipating teaches students skills like energy trading and hedging. An example would be how to buy fuel on an oil freighter that might take months to deliver. "They'll learn techniques on how do you negotiate
the price and how you do hedging programs to protect yourself," he said.
Fleischman said the changes to the MBA program already have started to attract students with a larger amount of business experience.
"It's something that we're all excited about and hoping the state will become excited about it," he said. "The MBA is supposed to be the flagship program of a business school and I believe it will now become (that)."

View the PDF here.

Reprinted from the Sunday, April 15, 2012 edition of the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle with permission of Cheyenne Newspapers, Inc., Copyright 2012.  All rights reserved.

UW College of Business Students to Meet with Warren Buffett

April 10, 2012 — It has taken University of Wyoming Assistant Professor Hilla Skiba four years on a long waiting list to get her finance class students the opportunity to meet with business icon Warren Buffett.

Nineteen finance students in the UW College of Business will spend nearly five hours Friday, April 13, with Buffett, widely regarded as one of the world's most successful investors.

The UW students, along with other invited students from around the country, will meet in Buffett's office of Berkshire Hathaway in Omaha, Neb., where he is the company's primary shareholder, chairman and CEO.

Students will engage in a two-hour question-and-answer session with the "Oracle of Omaha," followed by a luncheon and photo session with Buffett, who is regarded as one of the top five wealthiest men in the world.

Read more here.

Marketing Students Participate in Mittelstaedt Doctoral Symposium

For the second consecutive year, COB marketing professors and students in the PhD Program in Marketing participated in the Robert Mittelstaedt Doctoral Symposium.  The Symposium features doctoral students from some of the best programs in the US as presenters and discussants, and serves as a forum where students receive feedback on their research ideas and mentoring from experienced academicians.  Participation in the Mittelstaedt Symposium is by invitation only, and an honor for the programs involved. 

At the March 2012 Symposium gathering, Mya Pronschinske, a second year student, presented insights from her ethnographic research into beauty pageants, and Bret Leary, a first year student, served as a discussant on a paper studying conflict resolution in franchising.  In addition, six UW marketing professors attended: Stacey Baker, Kent Drummond, John Mittelstaedt, Stephanie Oneto, Terri Rittenburg, and José Antonio Rosa.

UW College of Business Co-Sponsors SEE Conference

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Sustainability, ethics, and entrepreneurship are the core building blocks for harnessing the creation of a new generation of businesses that renew and strengthen rather than deplete or weaken the environmental, social and economic resources of our planet.

The Rocky Mountains' Front Range, and the Boulder-Denver-Ft Collins triangle in particular, have become a hotbed for innovation in the renewable energy; clean-tech; green building technologies; green IT; organic foods and sustainable agriculture; green and sustainable entrepreneurship. Colorado has achieved national rankings for energy research, including the National Renewable Energy Lab (#3) and University of Colorado Boulder (#6,). Colorado State University is home to the world famous Engines and Energy Conversion Lab while the Colorado School of Mines is known for its best-in-class energy research facilities. The Daniels College of Business of the University of Denver is internationally recognized for its focus on ethics and sustainability. The University of Wyoming houses the School of Energy Resources, and its College of Business has college-wide initiatives in business ethics, entrepreneurship, and sustainability, including a PhD program in Marketing and Sustainable Business Practices. The Monfort College of Business at the University of Northern Colorado fosters entrepreneurship through its annual Entrepreneurial Challenge and emphasizes ethics through its annual EthicsDay symposium.

With this background in mind, in 2008, management departments from various universities along the Rockies' Front Range decided to synergize their respective strengths and capabilities in the areas of business ethics, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. To that end, they started the Front Range Management Research Seminars, which run twice a year.

Over the years, the seminars' popularity grew; they now attract 60-70 scholars from diverse institutions, including but not limited to University of Wyoming, Colorado State University, University of Northern Colorado, University of Colorado (Boulder, Denver, & Colorado Springs), Denver University, School of Mines, and the Air Force Academy. The seminars also drew scholars from distant universities such as University of the Pacific, Clemson University, and even some international scholars too (Europe and China).

Given this energy behind the scholarly work and momentum behind the collaboration among the business schools, we decided to formalize the ties and convert one of these seminars into an international conference on Sustainability, Ethics, and Entrepreneurship (SEE).

We are looking forward to your contribution and to seeing you at the SEE Conference!

Find more information on the SEE Conference here.

UW Student-led Team Captures Top Honors in $30K Entrepreneurship Competition

April 6, 2012 - A business plan that targets the emerging algal biomass industry recently was judged the top proposal in the John P. Ellbogen $30K Entrepreneurship Competition at the University of Wyoming College of Business.

Levi Lowder, a molecular biology doctoral candidate from Durango, Colo., and his PlanktOMICS team won $12,500 and one year of free rent to further develop the company at the Wyoming Technology Business Center (WTBC).

The WTBC offers a technology business incubator and an outreach program focused on early-stage, high-growth companies. The 30,000-square-foot facility, which opened in 2006, offers laboratory, office and shared-conference room space for client companies as well as a state-of-the-art data center.

Lowder, team leader and head bioengineer, says PlanktOMICS seeks to be an innovative leader in providing biotechnological services and products for an emerging algal biomass industry. The company provides advanced phenotype analysis and screening services, custom algal vector design and construction, algal transformation and gene-expression analysis.

His partners are Stephen Herbert, algal phenotyping specialist and senior adviser; Jacob Miller, laboratory service and business specialist; and staff consultant Min-Hyung Ryu, a genetic engineering and molecular biology consultant and a molecular biology doctoral candidate.

The John P. Ellbogen $30K Entrepreneurship Competition is designed to encourage students in the UW community to act on their talents, ideas and energy to produce tomorrow's leading businesses. The $30K competition awards cash prizes to outstanding teams of student entrepreneurs who submit their business plans for new ventures showing significant business potential.

Read more here.

Learn more about the 2012 Competition here.

New Energy MBA Programs Offered Through UW College of Business

April 5, 2012 — The University of Wyoming College of Business , in cooperation with UW's School of Energy Resources and College of Law , is launching two new energy-focused tracks this fall in conjunction with its full-time MBA program.

The initiative features the design and implementation of two new optional energy management degree programs:

-- MBA with an energy concentration. Available to students completing a regular 16-month, full-time MBA program -- three academic semesters, plus a professional summer experience -- with new energy-focused electives in the program's final semester.

-- MBA in energy management. Available to students completing an additional full semester of specialized coursework -- four academic semesters, plus a professional summer experience in an energy-related enterprise.

The energy-focused tracks will provide even stronger career opportunities for MBA graduates, says MBA Program Director Martin Saffer.

"The energy MBA concentration will enhance, rather than supplant, the general management MBA program," Saffer says. "This concentration option will be available to full-time MBA students as part of the curriculum during their third and final academic semester."

Both student groups will benefit from a program-long series of on-campus energy seminars to be presented by invited leaders and experts in their fields.

Read more here.

UW Hosts first Sustainable Management Seminar

The College of Business, in collaboration with the School of Energy Resources, hosted its first Sustainable Management Seminar: Strategies and Tools for Energy and Extractive Industries in March 2012.  The seminar featured managerially-focused presentations on topics such as strategies for sustainable enterprises and building moral courage for ethical and sustainable management, and energy-industry focused presentations on the challenges and opportunities facing electric utilities and the global economics of low-carbon initiatives.  Attending the seminar were high level executives and managers from energy producing and managing companies in the oil, natural gas, coal, and uranium producing sectors, electric and natural gas distribution sectors, and government regulators.   UW professors in Law, Economics, Management, and Marketing also attended.  The event was well-received and future similar events are being planned.

UW MBA Students Participate in Prestigious International Business, Society Case Competition

March 29, 2012 - Eight University of Wyoming MBA Program students are participating in a case study competition that requires innovative thinking centered on corporate profitability and environmental, social and ethical issues.

The UW College of Business is among 25 leading business schools selected for the Aspen Institute's 2012 Business and Society International MBA Case Competition. Students have one weekend to analyze a new case study -- developed by the Yale School of Management -- and to give deep thought to the potentially positive role that business can play in society.

Winners will be announced April 13 in New York City. Students are competing for $40,000 in awards.

Representing UW are Anna Chopping, from Thermopolis; Robin Crosby, Portsmouth, R.I.; Zach Parrie and Matt Steidtmann, both from Laramie; Elesif Smith, Jackson; Chris Stearns, Casper; Josi Wambach, Holyoke, Colo.; and Chris Weiland, Cheyenne.

"This preeminent case competition inspires students at 25 forward-thinking MBA programs to tackle real-life business challenges that broach serious societal issues," says Nancy McGaw, Aspen Institute's Center for Business Education director. "Each year, we are encouraged by the creativity and intellectual rigor that this next generation of business leadership brings to today's most pressing problems."

Martin Saffer, MBA director, says it is quite an accomplishment for UW students to be selected for the competition.

"We are proud to be competing with some of the best MBA programs in the world," he says. "The Aspen Institute and the University of Wyoming MBA program are aligned in our focus on sustainability and global business practices."

Read more here.

UW Students Will Present Business Plans in $30K Entrepreneurship Competition Friday

March 27, 2012 - University of Wyoming students will present a wide range of business plans Friday, March 30, in the John P. Ellbogen $30K Entrepreneurship Competition at the College of Business Building.

The competition begins at 9 a.m. in Room 123.

The competition encourages students to act on their talents, ideas and energy to produce tomorrow's leading businesses. The $30K competition awards cash prizes to outstanding teams of student entrepreneurs who submit their business plans for new ventures showing significant business potential.

Read more here.

BBB Names 2012 Torch Award Finalists

March 5, 2012  From the website of the BBB of Northern Colorado and Wyoming:

Eleven businesses from Northern Colorado and Wyoming are finalists for the prestigious BBB Torch Awards for Business Ethics, a program of the Better Business Bureau Foundation. Winners will be announced at the annual awards event Tuesday, April 24, at the Embassy Suites in Loveland. The event begins with a reception at 5 p.m. followed by dinner and program at 6 p.m.

The BBB Torch Awards, now in its 14th year, recognizes businesses that exhibit exemplary business ethics, uphold high standards in relationships with customers, suppliers and shareholders, show honesty and integrity in marketing and advertising, and give back to their communities.

2012 Torch Award finalists are:
Altitude Chophouse and Brewery, Laramie, Wyo.
Home State Bank, Loveland
Hot Corner Concepts, Fort Collins
New West Bank, Greeley
Otis, Coan and Peters LLC, Greeley
Palmer Flowers, Fort Collins
Puma Steel, Cheyenne, Wyo.
Shirazi Benefits, Greeley
Tharp Cabinet Corp., Loveland
Woodward Inc., Fort Collins
Wyoming Pure Natural Beef LLC, Wheatland, Wyo.

Twenty-three companies were nominated for the 2012 Torch Awards by peers, colleagues and customers. Business students from the University of Northern Colorado, Colorado State University and the University of Wyoming prepared written entries, which were then judged by an independent panel.

For further information about the event or to purchase tickets, visit wynco.bbb.org/torch_awards or call Kellie Brown at 970-488-2036.

UW's Shogren Joins International Royal Panel on Sustainability

February 27, 2012 — Jay Shogren and all the other king's men and women, or more specifically, the King's Professors, are combining their expertise and taking aim at global sustainability.

Shogren, chair of the University of Wyoming Department of Economics and Finance, is among 14 international scientists who have served as Royal Guest Professors of Sweden's King Carl Gustaf XVI. All were invited and accepted the king's invitation to take part in the Royal Professors' Symposium on Global Sustainability, scheduled March 22 at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden.

The prestigious professorship appointment, created in 1996 to honor the king's 50th birthday, was established to promote education and research in environmental protection, says Shogren, who served his professorship during 2007-2008. He says the Royal Guest Professorship has become an important way to promote high-quality research in both the social and scientific aspects of the environmental sciences.

The only economist in the group, Shogren will discuss the interaction of the environment and economics, and what it will mean over the next decade.

Read more here.

Sustainable Business Practices at UW

In MKT 4590, students spend a semester studying Sustainable Business Practices, and choose a company that is pursuing sustainable practices to profile. To see the students' posters, click here.

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