Centre for Building Sustainable Value

HBA Sustainability Certificate

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HBA Sustainability Certificate

Empowering the next generation of sustainable leaders

The HBA Sustainability Certificate is directed by Dr. Oana Branzei and is generously funded by RBC and the Chisholm Family Foundation. The Certificate empowers Ivey HBA students to build and lead more sustainable organizations. It includes a coordinated set of courses and experiences designed to provide a strong grounding in the principles and best practices of sustainability. The program positions students to begin their journeys as responsible C-Suite decision-makers, entrepreneurs, non-profit leaders and policymakers.

Learn more about past certificate events in our student written blogs:

Knowledge gained and hearts changed at the HBA Sustainability Certificate field trip (October 2019)
A Closing Ceremony that opened new doors (March 2019)
HBA reflect on Sustainability Certificate kick-off (September 2018)
Sustainability is a new design for the fashion industry (October 2017)

Resources

Overview and Requirements 2020/2021 (view 2019/2020 requirements here)
Current Students
Current Mentors

Committed to starting their personal social or sustainable ventures.
Interested in sustainability consulting.
Having a personal calling to make a difference, wanting to blend this calling with a successful career in traditional organizations.
Interested in pursuing sustainable opportunities after gaining insights through traditional job placements.

Mentor students
Participate as speakers in sustainability events

If you're a manager wanting to engage with students in this program, contact sustainability@ivey.ca

September 14^th, 2020, 6:00 - 9:00 PM: Difference-Makers – a live case with real-time dilemmas presented by an organization’s executive team.
September 25^th, 2020, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM: Impact Day – on-site, hands-on activities hosted by multiple leaders and organizations.
March 12^th, 2021, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Game-changers – a half-day alumni reunion, followed by small group mentorship, networking, and recruiting opportunities.
March 22^nd, 2021, 6:00 - 9:00 PM: New beginnings: inspirational keynotes, big picture panels, closing ceremony for the 2020-21 and welcoming the incoming 2021-22 cohorts.

The Certificate in Sustainability has both credit and non-credit requirements, as outlined below. View requirements for the 2019-20 cohort here.

Academic Requirements

0.5 required courses: To complete the Certificate you must successfully complete HBA1 and the following HBA2 course:

4620 Impact Assessment (0.5 course)

1.0 electives: You must also complete a minimum of 1.0 credits from the following:

4458 Leading Change (0.5 course)
4525 International Business Environment Studies: Service Learning in Africa (0.5 course)
4564 Design-Driven Innovation (0.5 course)
4580 Reputation Management (0.5 course)
4495 Building Consumer Brands (0.5 course)
4619 The Performing Leader (0.5 course)
4596 Power & Politics (0.5 course)
4553 Social Enterprise (0.5 course)
4499 Case Writing or Research Project (0.5 course)

* Students selecting Building Consumer Brands as a certificate elective must opt to do their final course project on a sustainability-oriented brand/organization.

Engagement Requirements

Sustainability certificate students are expected to engage in 4 exclusive, events in September and March. Events are mandatory for all students with the exception of students with class conflicts. Students will also get exclusive access to optional speaker events throughout the year (not currently listed).

Difference-makers: a live case with real-time dilemmas presented by the executive team (September)
Impact Day: on-site hands-on activities hosted by multiple leaders & organizations (September)
Gamechangers: a showcase of “Sustainability by Ivey” featuring Ivey alumni who have started sustainable start-ups or are leading sustainability strategies (March)
Closing Ceremony: a keynote presentation and networking with Ivey faculty, alumni and the incoming 2021-22 certificate cohort (March)

Reflection Requirements

Students will be asked to write and submit two one-page reflections. The first will be a personal sustainability statement written in the beginning of the year. The second will be a professional sustainability statement written at the end of the year. Students will have the opportunity to seek guidance and discuss their statements with certificate alumni currently working in the field they wish to enter. Statements will be shared with other certificate students to encourage community and accountability on goals (opt-out available for students that want their statements to remain private). Templates and required readings will be available in September.

Exchange

Students going on exchange in the second term must complete all core courses at Ivey but can substitute 0.5 electives with sustainability-related courses offered by your host institution. Students must obtain pre-approval from the Sustainability Certificate Program and the HBA Program Office for these substitutions before leaving on exchange.

Certificate students receive the first invitations to exclusive events, including conferences, dinners, guest speakers and other networking events. These events are not required, but are excellent opportunities to learn and network.

Each student is paired with an individual mentor during the certificate.

The program has limited enrolment. The application for admission consists of a standard 'fill-in-the-blanks' form with three written-answer questions, plus a biography, photo and up-to-date resume (see form above).

Applications for the 2020/21 academic year are now closed. Applications for the 2021/22 academic year will open in March 2021.

Professor Oana Branzei - Director, obranzei@ivey.uwo.ca

Julia Bevacqua - Program Coordinator, jbevacqua@ivey.ca