EFII aims to train Johnson MBA students for emerging opportunities at the intersection of sustainability and finance, including project finance that addresses climate change, ecosystem services, and poverty alleviation. Through a series of courses, coupled with applied projects, EFII Fellows are trained to invest in, manage, or regulate businesses or projects seeking financial, environmental, and/or social goals.

The Sustainable Business Fellows program equips MBA students with a practical understanding of strategic decision-making that addresses social, environmental, and governance issues. Through courses that cover key sustainability concepts students learn to integrate sustainable practices into business strategies. The program emphasizes the use of problem-solving frameworks, enabling future leaders to tackle real-world sustainability challenges in a business context.

Established through the generosity of Stephen Semlitz (ILR ’75, MBA ‘76) & Cathy Glaser (ILR ‘74), the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business jointly administer the Semlitz Family Sustainability Fellows Program (Semlitz Fellows). The program is designed to bring early career researchers and business students together to prepare for careers in sustainability leadership.

Through a combination of coursework, professional development, and experiential learning, Semlitz Fellows will learn to make informed choices about where and how to apply sustainability-related decision-making to impact our most pressing challenges, work across scientific and managerial boundaries to achieve that impact, and build a lasting career which affects our economies, environment and society.