News Releases

Monday, October 4, 2010

“The idea of sustainability is broad, but it is integral for School of Business students to be knowledgeable about the topic,” said Matt Lehrman, a University of Kansas School of Business alumnus.

Lehrman, a spring 2010 Master of Business Administration graduate, began using his passion for sustainability and the knowledge he learned at the School of Business to contribute to Westar Energy’s Smart Star Lawrence program in summer 2010.

The School of Business’ MBA program began teaching students how to understand and use sustainability practices in spring 2010. Lehrman, who was in the first class offered, is proving the Sustainable Business Operations course is teaching MBA students what employers want.

“When Matt came to the MBA program he asked me, ‘Do we have anything that would be of interest to me concerning sustainability?’” said Charles Krider, director of the MBA program. “I said, ‘We can make something that does.’” That exchange indicates the wide array of learning possibilities students can take advantage of in the School of Business’ MBA program.

The Smart Star Lawrence program that Lehrman is working on will exchange mechanical energy meters with digital meters that give customers detailed information about their energy use.  Implementation will begin in spring 2011.

As a Smart Star Program Analyst, Lehrman is working on wind turbine growth and electric vehicle integration, among other projects at Westar Energy.

“It’s critical for all future business students to understand that sustainability decisions incorporate economic, environmental and social factors,” Lehrman said. Krider agrees. “It’s a major issue for companies,” Krider said. “Many companies are making sustainability a real competitive advantage.”

Courses that focus on immerging topics like sustainability are consistently added to the School of Business’ MBA program curriculum. That gives MBA students a competitive advantage and means they’re not business as usual.