At MUM, students are highly engaged with class projects because their learning has meaning and purpose.

MUM students create change for sustainability in Fairfield, Iowa
from Maharishi University of Management website blog by Ayako Huang
3 April 2016

Organizational Change for Sustainability class is the part of the Maharishi University of Management Sustainable MBA capstone project classes, and is followed by Sustainable Community Development class. Both classes are grounded in the notion of planned experiences that are related to work situations. This supports the goal of Sustainable MBA program to create authentic learning opportunities through a curriculum that matters.

The capstone projects focus on real-world issues at the local scale, and students learn what they can contribute. More specifically, the capstone projects engage all stakeholders (university, students, local government) by providing real-world hands-on sustainable activities, integrating local sustainable science expertise as partners, and uniting curriculum resources with career relevance. To be both learners and citizens, students put forth their best efforts to negotiate and navigate challenges. Meanwhile, students are highly engaged with class projects because their learning has meaning and purpose, particularly, the opportunity to present their cases in front of local authorities or business practitioners. By partnering with local community, the classes strengthen academic and community ties and create additional opportunities for students to support community initiatives. Students are currently working three city sustainable projects:

1) Cultural tourism and economic development plan
2) Renewable energy program: Solar initiative
3) Sustainable transportation master plan: Bicycle and sidewalk safety assessment

The tourism project focuses on developing local community cultural heritage (meditator vs. non-meditator) to ensure continued viability. In addition, the project helps students to plan local economic activities with local authorities and to participate in continued innovation in community tourism development.

The solar project estimates the size and cost to install an energy system for a local city building, in particular, solar electric (PV). The students serve as the financial analysis to provide energy bill savings, the net system cost, and other financial incentives.

The bicycle and sidewalk project aims to improve pedestrian and bicycle access to Jefferson County Loop Trail, as well as ADA issues related to sidewalks including proper design for handicapped individuals. The project involves a multi-phase plan with a long-term development decisions. The project is in the first phase: unsafe or dangerous sidewalk assessment and maintenance of safe, adequate sidewalks for pedestrian use.

Students will continue their capstone project in the upcoming Sustainable Community Development class.

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About the author:
Ayako Huang studies the field of human behavior in licensing contracts, integrating decision theory and unforeseen events to explore the new contractual phenomenon. She is particularly interested in organizational behavior, strategic management, transaction-cost economics and sociology to help better understand how a theory of business-to-business contractual behavior ought to be developed.

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