GREEN UH TEAMS UP WITH BAUER


Business students get real-world experience in the business of sustainability with a new collaboration between Bauer College of Business and Green UH. Green UH is one of several Houston-area partners that have teamed up with Bauer for corporate projects for the GENB 2301 course �Connecting Bauer to Business.�

The course is described as providing to students an �overview of business programs in Bauer and the connection to career paths.� Students are expected to learn about business protocol and develop their communication skills. Four different groups of 8 students each signed up for the Green UH corporate projects to spend the next two months analyzing and researching a hypothetical business venture for Green UH to determine its viability and its potential benefits.

The groups will research and draw conclusions regarding one of four proposals: 1) a socially/environmentally-responsible student investment fund; 2) an eco-event consulting service on campus; 3) Urban gardener business workshops; and 4) a sustainability lecture series at Bauer.

�This collaboration benefits the University in that it helps Green UH evaluate potential strategies for earning revenue that also further its mission, but it also benefits the University in that students have an opportunity to explore the intersections between their passions for business, entrepreneurship and the burgeoning field of green jobs, and also care for the only earth we have,� said Leah Wolfthal, Program Coordinator for Sustainability.

Wolfthal became involved in the project after contacting the Bauer College about potential collaborations with Green UH. She was then introduced to the GENB 2301 course and invited to come up with corporate project ideas.

�I think this is a great learning experience,� said Benjamin Broadous, a finance sophomore working on the investment fund project. �We�ll be looking at investment funds at this university and others and draw conclusions of if it could work. It�ll help develop our research and analytical skills.�

Wolfthal had an initial meeting with the groups on September 15 where she introduced them to Green UH�s history and mission, led teamwork exercises and answered any questions from the students. The groups will have a mid-point update on October 10 to report on their progress to the instructors and Wolfthal. Then Wolfthal will be given a grading rubric to evaluate the groups during the corporate presentations by a November 7 deadline.

Not only will the teams be developing their own business skills through this collaboration, but they will also be doing research that could potentially further the green initiatives on campus.

�It�s a strong way to get students involved in the green movement,� said Taylor Rumsey, a finance junior from the student investment fund group.

For more information on Green UH or to get involved, visit www.uh.edu/green.