FUELING GOOD
Together, we’re helping Berkeley Haas lead the future at the intersection of business and social good.
New prize aims to spur solutions to environmental crisis
Recognizing that the global market is not acting fast enough to address climate change, Haas has launched the Berkeley Haas Sustainable Business Research Prize . The $20,000 prize, one of the largest of its kind, will encourage research on the economic levers that motivate individuals, corporations, and markets to act with urgency on climate initiatives and is supported by Allan Spivack, MBA 80, the former president & CEO of RGI Home and a member of the Senior Advisory Board of the school’s Center for Responsible Business. “My intention is to create a platform in which the urgent conversations around climate change and industry can meet the moment,” says Spivack.
Chou Hall celebrates five years
Five years in, Connie & Kevin Chou Hall remains a bustling center of student life on the Haas campus—and the greenest academic building in the country. Today, new initiatives continue to be piloted in Cafe Think and throughout the building. This includes replacing single-use items with reusables and reducing emissions in a leading effort to reach the University of California’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2030.
Gift advances financial literacy
Over his career as a CPA, James V. Huhn, BS 52, realized how many people lack basic grounding in finance and saw an opportunity to help them make better financial decisions. He and his wife, Betty Riley Huhn, BS 50, began funding the Haas Financial Literacy Chair with a $400,000 annual pledge that will lead to an endowed chair. Professor Terrance Odean, the Rudd Family Foundation Professor of Finance, will use the initial funds to produce videos on personal finance topics that include job offer negotiations, scams and identity theft, credit cards, and career choice. These will augment an existing video library, improving the large undergraduate course Odean teaches on personal finance and preparing to increase its reach.
New affinity group advances sustainability
A group of Haas alumni committed to environmentally and socially responsible business formed the Sustainability Alumni Group this past spring to equip fellow Haasies with the knowledge, resources, relationships, and inspiration to change the world for the better. The group will facilitate professional growth opportunities, offer events and speakers, share best practices, and more to help catalyze an economic and social transition to a climate-resilient world. Join the mailing list.
Faculty member supports longevity of institute led by friend and colleague
Professor Emeritus Carl Shapiro, an antitrust expert who began teaching at Haas in 1990 as part of the Economic Analysis and Policy group, donated $300,000 to fund the Energy Institute at Haas, led by Professor Emeritus Severin Borenstein, his longtime friend. “Energy economics and energy policy have become more important than ever as we face huge costs from climate change. Under the leadership of Severin and his colleagues, the Energy Institute at Haas is unmatched in the quality of their work, so contributing was very natural for me,” says Shapiro. “These days, having reliable funding to support graduate students and other researchers who work with the faculty is critical to maintaining a healthy and productive research and policy operation. That was my goal with this gift.”
Key partnerships power inclusive fintech, sustainable financial services
Thanks to renewed support from Ripple Impact, the Lab for Inclusive FinTech (LIFT) further expanded its reach in 2022–23. LIFT is a multi-sector, multidisciplinary effort to unlock the potential of financial technology to dramatically expand access to financial services for unbanked and vulnerable populations in advanced and emerging markets. Through partnerships with key actors in the private sector, nonprofits, and policymakers, LIFT continues to generate opportunities to build high-quality and high-impact research agendas. In addition, LIFT recently launched the Fintech for Good contest, powered by Big Ideas, to expand the student innovation ecosystem and support training and projects related to digital financial inclusion.
In collaboration with Wells Fargo this past year, the Lab for Sustainable Financial Services and Innovation has been able to accelerate cross-disciplinary research aimed at crafting socially responsible banking and financial solutions. This partnership fuels a research agenda that encompasses consumer behavior, fintech advancements, blockchain regulations, and data privacy—with equity, diversity, and inclusion being central across all research pillars.