Overview
The Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder offers a rich curriculum with an overarching commitment to entrepreneurship and sustainability education.
Our students are continually recognized as innovators by the business and academic community. For instance, this year MBA students won $5,000 at the eighth annual Rocky Mountain Real Estate Challenge for their plan to re-vitalize the Denver Coliseum site, an undergraduate student won the Youth Mentoring Association fashion scholarship for her comprehensive online marketing plan and a doctoral student won a prestigious award for his algorithm that accelerates the development of new pharmaceutical drugs.
The Leeds School curriculum and instruction encourages students to think critically, take action and create success for themselves. Upon graduation, our students go on to become entrepreneurs and productive members of the business community.
Our faculty’s award-winning research influences both academia and the real world. From figuring out how to reduce flight delays at airports, to providing consumers with unbiased knowledge about choosing a home mortgage, or presenting findings to policymakers in Washington, D.C., our research makes a difference.
Many of our faculty are experts in their divisions (Accounting, Finance, Management and Entrepreneurship, and Marketing) as well as in sustainable business practices. Selected faculty research in sustainability is generously supported by the Mary Vogt, Terry Vogt and Daniel Birmann Sustainability Research Fund.
Read/Download our 2011 Annual Report
History
Founded in 1906, the Leeds School is one of the oldest business schools in the United States and has an extensive history of enhancing the business community by:
- Providing interns, student consulting teams and business graduates to the global business community.
- Attracting outstanding faculty who create new business knowledge through research.
- Offering a two-year evening MBA program specifically designed for working professionals.
- Establishing excellence in areas that guide the practice of business, including entrepreneurship, real estate, social responsibility and sustainability.
- Educating managers and executives through Executive Education programs.
2001: Leeds Transformational Gift
In October of 2001, the Leeds family of New York made a $35 million commitment to the University of Colorado at Boulder's business school, the country's seventh largest endowment to a business school. The school was renamed the Leeds School of Business in recognition of the gift. The name change marked that the school was entering a new era. Today, a number of exciting courses and initiatives are in place that examine how business impacts society and how societal issues affect business. Through our programs and research, we examine the relationship between business and society to broaden the scope of business education by creating knowledge and leaders that facilitate societal change.
1960: School offers Ph.D. degrees in business
In 1960, the school began offering Ph.D. degrees in business. By 1965, the success of the program prompted the University of Colorado Board of Regents to establish the Graduate School of Business to administer master's degrees. The school moved to its present location in 1970.
1937: Accredited by AACSB
The business program was accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the accrediting body of business schools, in 1937. The AACSB recognition is only given to those schools that achieve and maintain established standards of excellence with respect to curriculum, faculty, library resources, and financial support. At this point the business school was still without a real home. Classes were being held in several buildings across campus.
1922: School of Business Administration
In 1922, the business program became the School of Business Administration and relocated to the basement of Guggenheim, the former law school building. The faculty was enlarged to a total of 15, and the school was on its way to become one of the university's first principal professional schools.
1906: College of Commerce
What is today known as the Leeds School of Business began in 1906 as the College of Commerce, a division of the College of Liberal Arts. The University of Colorado was one of the leaders in establishing a college of commerce, according to the Biennial Report of 1906-1908. The report noted that the distinction between the College of Commerce and the ordinary business college. “The person who is to be a leader in business must know something of law, economics, the markets of the world, and the location of available power and labor.” The school realized even then that to be successful our students need to understand how business relates to the world around them.
National Recognition
The Leeds School consistently ranks among the top business schools in the country. For the 2009-2010 academic year:
- BusinessWeek ranks the Leeds School of Business as one of the top 50 business schools in the nation for its undergraduate specialties. The Leeds School is ranked in the following categories: 30th in ethics, 41st in sustainability, 43rd in business law, 46th in financial management and 48th in calculus.
- U.S. News and World Report ranked the Leeds School’s Deming Center for Entrepreneurship 17th, moving it up three spots from last year for its graduate school entrepreneurship program.
- U.S. News and World Report ranked the undergraduate program 35th nationally among all public and private universities, moving up from 41st last year. Among public universities offering doctoral business degrees, the University of Colorado Boulder is ranked 22nd.
- U.S. News and World Report ranked the full-time MBA program 71st out of 426, making it in the top 20 percent. Both the evening MBA and MBA Entrepreneurship programs were ranked in the top 10 percent, at 35th and 26th place.
- World Resources Institute and the Aspen Institute ranked the Leeds School 37th in the world for integrating social and environmental stewardship into the curriculum in the 2009-10 Beyond Grey Pinstripes report. The four areas of curriculum ranked the Leeds School 28th in relevant courses, 35th in student exposure, 32nd in for-profit impact, and 85th in faculty research.
George Norlin Awards
The George Norlin Award, the most prestigious honor bestowed by the University of Colorado Boulder, honors alumni of the University of Colorado at Boulder for distinguished lifetime achievement. It recognizes outstanding alumni who throughout their lives have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in their chosen field of endeavor and a devotion to the betterment of society and their community.
Leeds-Affiliated Winners
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
1997
- Leslie R. Fowler (Bus’ 48)
1991
- Vance D. Brand (Bus ’53, Aero ’60)
1990
1990
- Roger L. Reisher (Acct’ 50)
1969
- David B. Bolen (Econ, MMktg ’50)
- William S. McNary (Bus’ 26)
Frascona Teaching Excellence Award
This award was established by the Falkenberg family to honor Dr. Joseph L. Frascona, “who, as both inspired teacher and mentor, encouraged their intellectual development and created a profound, lasting impact on their lives.”
Bob and Martha Falkenberg are strong proponents of outstanding business education and have demonstrated their support both through commitments to the building fund and Frascona Teaching Excellence Award. As a result their deep appreciation for Professor Joseph Frascona’s dynamic teaching, Bob, his father Robert L. Falkenberg (BS ’51), and sister, Nancy Tuck (BS ’82 Finance), established the Frascona Teaching Excellence Award in 1991 in hopes that future generations of teachers at Leeds School of Business would be encouraged to inspire their students as Professor Frascona inspired them.
Winners
Sustainability
The Leeds School of Business has a long-standing commitment to sustainable business practices that stretches back more than 20 years. The Leeds School believes that environmental stewardship and social responsibility are consistent with running a profitable business. Indeed, a central message underlying the entrepreneurial emphasis of the school is that enormous opportunities exist to “do well by doing good” in environmental, social, and ethical terms, all while maintaining and enhancing economic sustainability.
The Leeds School’s overarching goal with its sustainability initiatives is to educate and inspire students to become values-driven leaders who create sustainable businesses and develop new innovative models that transform how we do business in all sectors. It is noteworthy that a broad array of Leeds’ business partners, such as the natural and organic products industry in Boulder, the sustainable real estate development community, and the burgeoning Colorado renewable energy industry, have all contributed significantly to the realization of this goal. In addition, local and nationally-recognized, values-driven business leaders are woven into the Leeds educational experience; students regularly engage with such leaders in the classroom and the workplace through projects, speaking engagements, and internships.
Leeds students benefit from the wide array of sustainability activities at CU-Boulder, which nicely complement their sustainability-oriented coursework at the Leeds School. The CU campus was recently named the #1 US green campus by Sierra Magazine; is top-ranked as a sustainable campus by the Sustainable Endowments Institute; and was selected to be an Ashoka Changemaker campus for its interdisciplinary program on social entrepreneurship.
Collaborative Responsibility
Sustainability is a collaborative effort at the Leeds School, combining the efforts of the Center for Education on Social Responsibility (CESR), the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, and the Real Estate Center, as well as the efforts of individual faculty members and divisions. CESR focuses its efforts on promoting a discussion of values and on corporate social responsibility; the Deming Center specializes in environmental, food, and energy sustainability; and the Real Estate Center a leader in the integration of sustainable principles into real estate and development. The Real Estate Center’s Initiative for Sustainable Development provides partnerships, advisory services, research and teaching.
Together, these organizations and the faculty of the Leeds School offer a full spectrum of opportunity for students seeking to immerse themselves in learning about social and environmental challenges in business settings. Courses of study and experiential opportunities involving sustainability are available to graduate and undergraduate students alike.
Across the Boundaries
In addition to their own specific offerings, CESR, the Deming Center, and the Real Estate Center have built bridges to establish collaborative initiatives that cross traditional business school boundaries. For example, CESR and the Deming Center coordinate efforts on "values-driven entrepreneurship" to support not only social entrepreneurship but also the integration of values and sustainability principles into business models and practices. In 2010 CESR along with ICOSA Magazine, in collaboration with the Deming Center, cohosted a conference for business students in local universities on Conscious Capitalism.
The Real Estate Center's 2009 conference on Climate Change and the New Frontiers of Urban Development was also cosponsored by the Deming Center. All three groups offer mentoring programs and share resources and ideas, preparing students for employment in the rapidly expanding field of sustainable business.
Video
Komor talks about renewable energy as a business pursuit, what RETool is and why he thinks it's relevant to the business community.
Publications
Annual Report
November 2011
Leeds reached a number of milestones during the 2010-2011 academic year, and many of these accomplishments are showcased in this report.
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Portfolio
November 2011
Author: Leeds School of Business
Focuses on Leeds School alumni and friends innovating in the fields of philanthropy and social responsibiilty. We also celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Leeds family's transformational gift.
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Full Publication
Publication
May 2011
The information in this handbook will help you prepare for orientation, registration, and joining the Leeds School of Business student body. We encourage you to keep it to use as a resource for future semesters. Please read all information carefully.
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Full Publication
Publication
May 2011
At Leeds, we cultivate well-rounded individuals whose journeys can lead anywhere in the world.
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