Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 50.39
Liaison Marianella Franklin
Submission Date Aug. 28, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
EN-11: Continuing Education

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.75 / 5.00 Jayshree Bhat
Director
Continuing Education
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution offer continuing education courses that address sustainability?:
Yes

Number of continuing education courses offered that address sustainability:
7

Total number of continuing education courses offered:
120

A copy of the list and brief descriptions of the continuing education courses that address sustainability:
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A list and brief descriptions of the continuing education courses that address sustainability:

1. Certificate in Sustainable Management-This program covers several key topics, including:
· The reasons for sustainability's increase in popularity
· The connection between the environment and sustainability
· The business case for embracing sustainable management within an organization
· The role government regulation plays in sustainability efforts
· Some criticisms of corporate sustainability
· Applying sustainable management principles in the workplace
· Applying the triple bottom line (TBL) concept and its three pillars of "People, Planet, and Profits" in organizations
· Recognizing and implementing best practices for measuring sustainable management efforts
2.An Overview of Sustainable Management-Sustainable management is managing a firm so that it generates profits for its owners, protects the environment, and improves the lives of the people with whom it interacts. The business case for sustainable management is that it can help a company's long-run profitability and success.

After completing, the participant should be able to:

Define sustainability and its application in an organizational setting
Describe the connection between the environment and sustainability
Explain the business case for sustainable management
Recognize the role of government regulation in corporate sustainability efforts
Discuss leadership in sustainable management
Outline the criticisms of corporate sustainability
Apply sustainable management principles to workplace scenarios

Target Audience: This course is designed for adult learners interested in advancing their understanding of sustainable management.

3.Corporate Social Responsibility-Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the concept of organizations taking responsibility for their impact on society and the environment. Businesses which embrace CSR promote the public interest through what they do (for example, encouraging community growth and development) and what they refrain from doing (for example, eliminating or avoiding practices that harm stakeholders, regardless of whether such practices are legal). CSR is the inclusion of the public interest into corporate decision-making.

After completing this module, the student should be able to:

Define corporate social responsibility (CSR) and explain how the concept has been broadened
Describe the moral and economic arguments for CSR
Outline the criticisms of CSR
Explain the role of CSR standards and how CSR is measured
Recognize the impact on corporations of their CSR performance
Outline best practices for CSR

4.Measuring Sustainable Management Performance-Sustainable management is managing a firm so that it generates profits for its owners, protects the environment, and improves the lives of the people with whom it interacts. The business case for sustainable management is that it can help a company's long-run profitability and success.

After completing this module, the student should be able to:

Define sustainability and its application in an organizational setting
Describe the connection between the environment and sustainability
Explain the business case for sustainable management
Recognize the role of government regulation in corporate sustainability efforts
Discuss leadership in sustainable management
Outline the criticisms of corporate sustainability
Apply sustainable management principles to workplace scenarios

5.Sustainable Management: Leadership Ethics-Leaders are increasingly being held responsible and accountable for the manner in which they lead--and if they are adhering to ethical behavior when they make decisions. Organizations have learned that the costs of unethical actions can be high, both legally, and from the perspective of brand image and reputation.

At the same time, research is showing that good business ethics translates to good business results. Leading in an ethical manner can provide a clear advantage in building a thriving enterprise.
This course reviews the key issues surrounding leadership and business ethics.

After completing this course, the student should be able to:

Discuss the role of ethics in the workplace and for leadership
Describe some of the major ethical frameworks used in developing business ethics
Discuss the use of ethical standards and ethics codes in the workplace
Recognize the role of leadership in setting the ethical tone for an organization
Apply ethical principles to workplace scenarios

6.Taking the Helm at Coastal Industries Simulation-
Throughout this simulation, you will play the role of the new chief executive officer of Coastal Industries, a fictional manufacturer of industrial transformers. During the simulation, you will be asked to make a series of decisions as Coastal Industries adopts sustainable management practices. These decisions will involve the company's operations, its standing in the community, and its relations with local government and state and federal regulators. Each of your decisions will affect Coastal Industries in different ways. Your goal in the simulation is to optimize positive scores across the following leadership factors:

You will be asked to make a series of decisions during the simulation, and each decision will impact the project in different ways. Your goal in the simulation is to optimize positive scores across the following project management factors:

Leadership Performance
Board Support
Employee Relations
Social Responsibility
Regulatory Compliance
Environmental Practices
Financial Performance

This simulation is meant to sharpen your understanding of the key leadership skills necessary for effective sustainable management. Those skills include:

Taking charge as a new leader
Balancing competing concerns, such as management/employee preferences, community interests, and financial needs
Dealing with controversial decisions and the potential for negative responses both internally and externally
Analyzing financial data and using that information to make educated decisions
Managing organizational change
Understanding the relationship between corporate responsibility and the community
Assessing sustainability practices and measuring their organizational and financial impacts
Finding compromises that meet short and long-term financial objectives

7.Triple Bottom Line Accounting-In order to pursue the goal of sustainability, corporate and government leaders must manage companies and economies in terms of balancing and optimizing the triple bottom line of social, environmental, and economic impacts. The Triple Bottom Line concept, also known as the "3Ps" ("People, Planet, and Profit"), is both a metaphor for thinking about sustainability as well as the basis for a practical framework for accounting and reporting on organizations' activities and impacts. The TBL concept borrows the well-known and widely accepted idea of financial accounting and its "bottom line" and expands it.

After completing this module, the student should be able to:

Explain the triple bottom line (TBL) concept and its three pillars of "People, Planet, and Profits"
Describe the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) TBL accounting framework
Explain how economic, environmental, and social performance indicators are developed
Discuss how TBL accounting measures an organization's sustainability performance
Outline the criticisms of TBL accounting
Describe best practices for TBL accounting


Does the institution have at least one sustainability-themed certificate program through its continuing education or extension department?:
Yes

A brief description of the certificate program:

Certificate in Sustainability Management:
The University of Texas Pan American is proud to offer a certificate in sustainable management. This program teaches sustainability in the use of ecosystems and their resources in a manner which satisfies both the needs of modern and future generations. Sustainable businesses generate profits for its owners and protects the environment for people who live within it.


Year the certificate program was created:
2,013

The website URL where information about sustainability in continuing education courses is available :
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.