Santa Clara University

SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 14, 2010 — Some of the nation’s top experts in corporate social responsibility and socially responsible investing will gather May 14 and 15 at Santa Clara University, to discuss the benefits of elevating ethical values for corporations and investors.

The conference, titled “The Value of Values: Social Investing and Corporate Social Responsibility,” will be held Fri., May 14 (from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) and Sat., May 15 (from 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m), in Lucas Hall at Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA.

Media are invited to attend, but are asked to register with the organizers via Deborah Lohse of SCU Media Relations (dlohse@scu.edu). 

“The Value of Values” conference is the signature event of the Santa Clara Initiative for Financial Innovation and Risk Management (SCIFIRM), a multiyear project focused on ethical financial innovation and responsible risk management. SCIFIRM was formed after the international financial crisis that began in late 2008, as an effort to leverage SCU’s institutional expertise in areas such as behavioral finance, risk management, and private equity with the University’s focus on ethics, justice, and compassion.
A rare lineup of speakers from North America and Europe is scheduled to attend and present results of their research at the conference. For instance, three of the four authors of industry papers demonstrating long-term performance benefits from socially responsible investing will be on hand to discuss their research.
“Since the financial meltdown, more and more companies and individuals are realizing that promoting responsible behavior is integral to good business and investing choices,” said Sanjiv Das, chair of the department of finance at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business and a director of SCIFIRM. “This conference will give SCU students and industry leaders alike the chance to hear what the top minds in values-based finance have to say.”

Speakers will include corporate social responsibility experts Brad Barber of UC Davis, and Kellie McElhaney of UC Berkeley, as well as behavioral finance pioneers Hersh Shefrin and Meir Statman of Santa Clara University. A full list of speakers can be found at http://www.scu.edu/business/scifirm/conference/speakers.cfm.

Topics to be covered at the event include Is Good Governance Valuable?; Just Good Business: CSR in Practice; and Impact Investing and Behavioral Finance.  A full agenda is available at www.scu.edu/business/scifirm/conference/schedule.cfm.

About the Leavey School of Business
The Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University began in 1926, and was one of the first business schools in the country to receive national accreditation. Its undergraduate business, MBA and Executive MBA programs are consistently ranked among the top in the nation. The curriculum at all levels emphasizes the leadership role of business in creating an ethical society as well as business responsibilities for social justice and sustainability in the global marketplace. The School opened its new $49 million building for undergraduate, graduate, and professional business education in fall 2008. For more information, see www.scu.edu/business/

About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California’s Silicon Valley, offers its more than 8,600 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, theology, and engineering, plus master’s and law degrees and engineering Ph.D.s. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master's universities, California’s oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu.

Media Contact:
Deborah Lohse | SCU Assistant Media Relations Director | 408-554-5121 | dlohse@scu.edu