Ben Tacka’s reasons for packing his bags and moving from Houston to Burlington to be part of the inaugural class of the University of Vermont’s new MBA in Sustainable Entrepreneurship (SEMBA) are strikingly similar to the rest of the cohort. In short, he wants to acquire the skills to start his own sustainable venture or help other companies incorporate the sustainable business principles of the triple bottom line: people, profits and planet.  

“I had an epiphany about a year-and-a-half ago after doing some research and started looking into graduate programs,” says Tacka.  “SEMBA just jumped off the page at me, so I closed my business and sold everything I could to get up here and be part of the program. We just can’t keep doing what we’re doing to the planet. I’d like to help people with their businesses and spread the word.”

Joining Tacka in the one-year executive MBA program are 19 other students with an average of 10 years of professional work experience in a variety of fields. They come from as far away as Peru and Colombia and include a doctor, professional golfer, attorney, restaurateur, a handful of professionals from environmental fields, and some from non-governmental organizations and non-profits. 

“We wanted people with a background in the triple bottom line,” says Willy Cats-Baril, associate professor and designer of the program. “Not all of them had experience in all three legs, but we wanted to make sure we had a mix of people so that all three were represented in the classroom. I also wanted good representation from Vermont (half are from in-state) to fill jobs at the businesses that truly believe in sustainability and need people who understand how to incorporate it into a business. We are also hoping that students from outside the state will settle here. We were all-in when it came to creating the only truly sustainable entrepreneurship program, and we wanted a group that was just as passionate -- and this group is definitely all-in.” 

Cohort members arrived for orientation on Aug. 18 and listened to some of the 20-plus faculty members who will be teaching in SEMBA. The diversity of top-notch faculty from the Business School, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, Gund Institute, Community Development and Applied Economics, and Vermont Law School was a major draw, according to many students. “When I heard Stuart Hart speak on the first night I knew I was in the right place,” said Tacka of the Steven Grossman Endowed Chair in Sustainable Business and world-renowned expert on the implications of environment and poverty for business strategy.  

“My plans are now to finish the program and then move back to Peru with all the new knowledge that UVM will give me,” says Milagro Carranza, who studied economics at UVM as an undergraduate. “With that knowledge, together with my background in architecture, I hope to work and focus in the areas that my country needs the most development, especially in my hometown, which is full of historic Inca monuments, but which lacks development plans and qualified professionals.”

Access to sustainable buisness leaders a key draw

Students started the first of five modules on Aug. 25 focused on the foundations of management. Remaining units include "Building a Sustainable Enterprise," "Managing Growth," and "Focusing on Sustainability." The program culminates with a three-month practicum involving students starting or expanding a sustainable business. 

“There are sustainable MBA programs are out there, but they are essentially conventional MBA programs that have slapped on a few electives around sustainability,” says Sanjay Sharma, dean of the Business School, whose goal is to have SEMBA ranked atop the annual business school rankings produced by Corporate Knights, a publication that focuses on "clean capitalism." "This program and the courses have been totally invented from the ground up with sustainability at the forefront, along with traditional business models. We want to build the best program in the world for sustainable entrepreneurship, so it was important to have a very high quality first cohort.”

Another unique feature of the program that students cited as appealing is the access to national business leaders who have led the way in sustainability. Leaders from sustainability-focused businesses in Vermont -- a breeding ground for sustainability startups -- such as AllEarth Renewables, Ben & Jerry’s, Burton Snowboards, Cabot Creamery, FreshTracks Capital L.P., Keurig Green Mountain, Seventh Generation and Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, are part of an advisory board that will provide outside expertise and work with students. A slate of nationally recognized sustainability experts are also scheduled to speak throughout the year. 

“We have 13 business executives in residence who talk about these topics and spend time with students, which is very attractive to a lot of people,” says Sharma, who plans to grow the program to 50 students by year three. “Companies need people who can undertake projects that are profitable or set up profitable businesses in sustainable domains -- clean energy, clean water, climate change, access to education, fixing the healthcare system -- and that’s the niche this program fills.”

PUBLISHED

09-03-2014
Jon Reidel
Hear from six students in the first cohort of UVM's Sustainable Entrepreneurship MBAabout why they chose the program and what they hope to gain.