Santa Clara University

Centers and Institutes

The centers and institutes at the Leavey School of Business focus on interdisciplinary research and cultivate partnerships with the business community to broaden and test their findings. These partnerships provide learning opportunities for students and professionals, and give faculty the chance to investigate particular business problems.

CENTER FOR INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Established to lead the extension of Santa Clara University’s mission into the study and practice of innovation and entrepreneurship, the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) provides a hub for all entrepreneurial activity within the community. It also drives the development of entrepreneurship curricula and assists students, faculty, and alumni with the launch of new ventures.

The CIE is led by a director and a distinguished advisory board that includes alumni entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, venture attorneys and accountants, corporate executives, and the deans of the schools of business, engineering, law and the college of arts and sciences.

Interested students are encouraged to enroll in the CIE Entrepreneurship Program. For more information, contact the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at 408-554-5757, or visit the Web site at: http://www.scu.edu/business/cie.

EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT CENTER

Founded in 1957, the Executive Development Center (EDC) has collaborated with hundreds of companies to provide educational experiences geared toward developing employee leadership capabilities and organizational vitality.

The EDC offers business programs on emerging and current critical topics, as well as customized programs designed to assist companies in meeting the challenges of future business environments. We draw upon the complete resources of the University and its network of distinguished educators, scholars, practitioners, and consultants to design and facilitate business programs.

Certified Equity Professional Institute

The Certified Equity Professional (CEP) Institute was established in 1992 to promote and provide a certification for the equity compensation administration profession. The CEP Institute offers three sequential independent study courses designed for equity compensation professionals to develop their knowledge and credibility in issues pertinent to the industry. The CEP Institute curriculum serves as the industry’s educational standard. Organizations and individuals use the institute’s exams to measure basic (Level I), intermediate (Level II), and advanced (Level III) knowledge, skills, and abilities related to equity compensation administration. The CEP program is designed for those directly involved in the day-to-day management and administration of equity compensation plans, as well as those working in related fields such as investment banking, equity brokerage, tax accounting, and law. Upon completion of the three courses and their corresponding examinations, the candidate receives the designation of Certified Equity Professional.

For further information, please contact:

Executive Development Center
Phone: 408-554-4521
Fax: 408-554-5143
E-mail: edc@scu.edu
Web: http://www.scu.edu/business/edc

RETAIL MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE

The institute was formed in 1980 by Santa Clara faculty members working with an advisory board of leading figures in U.S. retailing. Today, the advisory board includes national leaders in the retail industry, including senior executives from major retailers including DFS, Gap, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Trader Joe’s, Williams-Sonoma, and Wal-Mart. The focus of the institute is on the use of consumer information and information technology in decision making. The institute provides unique educational and career development opportunities for students and retail professionals through three major programs.

The Retail Studies Program for Santa Clara University students produces Institute graduates who are strongly motivated and highly educated in both business and the humanities. Open to undergraduates in every field who are interested in retailing careers, Santa Clara University’s Retail Management Institute is a leader in preparing graduates to meet new and heightened challenges in the field.

The institute also is a leader in two other important areas — management development and active research. Retailers are served with executive education via open-enrollment management development programs, seminars, and custom-designed programs. The Institute’s retail research program, the Retail Workbench Research and Education Center, aims to expand knowledge and solve important problems using advanced analytical techniques and information technologies to meet the needs of decision makers in the rapidly changing retail environment.

For additional information, please contact the Retail Management Institute at 408-554-4960, via email at rmi@scu.edu, or visit the Web site at: www.scu.edu/business/rmi.

CENTER FOR ACCOUNTING EDUCATION AND PRACTICE

The Center for Accounting Education and Practice (CAEP) was established in 2000 to expand and develop relations among business students, faculty, and Silicon Valley accounting professionals. One of the Center's responsibilities is to sponsor or co-sponsor seminars on contemporary issues of interest to our students and external constituents. Guest speakers include chief financial officers, fraud auditors, accounting policymakers, valuation experts, and government regulators. MBA students are welcome to attend all CAEP events, which are announced on the CAEP’s Web site at: http://www.scu.edu/business/accounting/center.cfm.

FOOD AND AGRIBUSINESS INSTITUTE

The Food and Agribusiness Institute (FAI) has a long, distinguished history within the Leavey School of Business. Since its inception in 1973, the Institute has graduated more than 550 MBA students, many of whom now hold executive and management positions in the food industry throughout the world. FAI faculty members are recognized scholars and instructors with expertise in a wide range of food industry issues.

The Concentration in Food and Agribusiness Management is one of the few programs in the nation that combines a fully accredited MBA degree with an emphasis on food and agribusiness management. Students who intend to concentrate in food and agribusiness are eligible to receive financial aid from the Institute.

All students are encouraged to enhance their coursework with the enrichment programs offered by the FAI. Through the Internship Program, students have the opportunity to apply their classroom education in a professional work environment. The Institute's Mentor Program links students with food industry executives working in the student's area of interest. The immersion program and field trips expose students to the rich diversity of the food industry through domestic and international travel experiences.

In addition to providing education to graduate and undergraduate students, the Food and Agribusiness Institute sponsors executive development programs, conferences, lectures, campus initiatives, and research projects.

For further information, please contact:

Food & Agribusiness Institute
Phone: 408-554-5173
Fax: 408-554-4777
E-mail: fai@scu.edu
Web: www.scu.edu/fai

GLOBAL WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP NETWORK

Women remain the world’s greatest untapped source of leadership at a time when economic, social, political, technological, spiritual, and environmental challenges demand new levels of creativity, talent, and innovation. The Global Women’s Leadership Network (GWLN) at Santa Clara University is working to meet this demand by building a global network of women leaders who dare to transform the future of their organizations, communities, and the world.

The Global Women’s Leadership Network is unique in the arena of women’s leadership development. The GWLN:

• Supports women leaders who are working at the forefront of closing the Global Gender Gap in five critical areas: economic participation, economic opportunity, political empowerment, educational attainment and health and well-being
• Brings together women leaders from multiple sectors — business, government, civil society organizations, and academia — to provide the education, resources, and networks that enable them to build on each others’ success
• Develops leaders of competence, conscience and compassion using global leadership skills that create breakthrough thinking and results
• Combines the academic, ethical and social justice values of California’s oldest institution of higher education with the entrepreneurial spirit and future focus of Silicon Valley
• Believes that the effective use of technology has a profound potential for good, and that by engaging women in all aspects of technology, new options and alternatives for action will be created

For additional information, please contact Linda Alepin at lalepin@scu.edu or visit the Web site at: http://www.gwln.org.