Refugee issues to be addressed at regional summit

September 21, 2016 - The Center for Education on Social Responsibility (CESR) of the Leeds School of Business will host a Regional Summit on Refugee Issues October 26th at the University of Colorado Boulder, in response to a call to action by the United Nations Global Compact to UN PRME signatory business schools.

The primary focus of the summit will be: What actions can businesses and business schools take to better integrate refugees into their communities and local economies?

"Research demonstrates that refugees are much more likely to start new businesses that create wealth, employ local residents, and stimulate investment," said Dr. Mark Meaney, Executive Director of the Center for Education in Social Responsibility at Leeds. Meaney continued, "The Summit will highlight how Colorado business schools can promote economic growth in local economies by assisting refugees with entrepreneurship, or in filling labor and skills gaps."

The summit will call on experts from Colorado state and local government, NGOs, business leaders and universities to consider the impact of the greatest movement of people since World War II and particularly, the increasing number of refugees resettling in Colorado. In FFY 2015, 2,250 refugees and refugee eligible populations were resettled in Colorado, with the majority coming from Burma, Vietnam, Somalia and Iraq. Colorado will see an additional some 3,000 in FFY 2016.

The Summit will convene in Kittredge Hall on the Boulder campus on the 26th of October beginning at 8 am MST. To register: http://www.colorado.edu/business/center-education-social-responsibility/cesr-events/regional-summit-refugee-issues

Prominent speakers will include:

James Horan, Vice President of Refugee and Community Services for Lutheran Family Services, overseeing the Refugee and Asylee, Immigration Legal Services and Disaster Response programs.

Jeremy Priest, Leader, Designer and Maker of the Knotty Tie Company, which helps create employment opportunities for Colorado's refugees.

Kit Taintor, State Refugee Coordinator of the Colorado Department of Human Services, oversees the Colorado Refugee Services Program (CSRP) and the coordination of Colorado's refugee resettlement program.

Cheri Young, PhD, Associate Professor, Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management, Daniels College of Business, University of Denver received the prestigious McCool Breakthrough Award from the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education for innovative service learning initiative in which refugees learn the culinary skills needed to work in restaurants and hotels.

About PRME
UN Principles for Responsible Management (PRME) initiative is the first organized relationship between the United Nations and business schools. Its mission is to "transform management education, research and thought leadership globally by providing the Principles for Responsible Management Education framework, developing learning communities and promoting awareness about the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals."

About the Leeds School of Business
The Leeds School of Business is a top ranked business school offering undergraduate, MBA, MS and PhD business programs. Students learn from world class faculty within an innovative, entrepreneurial and global business environment.

Learn more at: http://www.colorado.edu/business

About the Center for Education on Social Responsibility (CESR)
The Center for Education on Social Responsibility (CESR) integrates business ethics, corporate social responsibility, diversity and sustainability throughout the undergraduate and graduate curriculum at Leeds. The center focuses on developing socially conscious, values-driven business leaders to manage the ethical challenges of a global economy.

Learn more at: http://www.colorado.edu/business/CESR

Contact:
Mark Meaney, Executive Director at the Center for Education on Social Responsibility, The Leeds School of Business, 303.492.3937
mark.meaney@colorado.edu