Erb Institute Alumni Snapshot 2018

ALUMNI SNAPSHOT T

he Erb Institute equips business professionals with the skills and knowledge necessary to lead environmentally, socially and economically sustainable organizations. This report offers an overview of where our alumni are now, how Erb prepared them for their professional futures, and the impact they are having in their companies and industries.

Note: 47% of the Erb Institute’s 453 alumni responded to the 2018 alumni survey; information included in this report reflects these responses.

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he Erb Institute arms our alumni with the expertise, capacity and ability to effect positive change. Our alumni overwhelmingly report that their Erb experience prepared them well for a career in business sustainability.

Erb Institute on Alumni Careers

Extremely well

29.4%

Very well

51.7%

How well do you feel the Erb Institute prepared you for a career in sustainability?

Moderately well

16.4% Slightly well

1.5% Not at all well

1%

Erb Institute

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WHAT OUR ALUMNI SAY “At my company, I’m one of the few people who has any interdisciplinary understanding of business and sustainability issues, including both the science and policy side of things and how it applies to business and science.

It’s in that knowledge vacuum that I’ve realized how expansive my own knowledge and training are.”

“Not a day goes by that I don’t draw from my Erb education. The analytical frameworks from [what was] then SNRE were superb and as useful as the strategy and organizational behavior methods and approaches learned at Ross.

And it’s been over 20 years since graduation!”

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rb alumni are moving the needle on sustainability. Our alumni are innovators, trusted leaders and influencers. More than half of Erb alumni report that they have a high degree of capacity to make or influence decisions that positively affect sustainability.

Alumni on Global Sustainability In 2015, world leaders adopted a set of 17 goals to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a call to action to address the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection.

Erb Institute alumni are working toward advancing of all 17 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals!

WHAT OUR ALUMNI SAY “My current position is explicitly focused on triple-bottom-line metrics, and I have considerable latitude in deciding and influencing how we achieve our objectives.”

Number of Erb alumni directly contributing to advancing the UN SDGs through their work*

“I’m in a good position to propose decisions to positively manage sustainability, and I’m also poised to execute and manage that process.”

22 20 45

21 21 50 77 66 81

Erb alumni report having the greatest influence on the following SDGs: sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11); climate action (SDG 13); and industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9).

25 88 59 86 28 39 9 39 *Alumni were asked to select all of the SDGs to which their work directly contributes.

Erb Institute

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ur alumni and students consistently report that the Erb community of

alumni and students is one of the most highly valued qualities of the Erb Institute. Erb alumni are demonstrating their long-term commitment to this community by supporting both each other and the institute’s rising sustainability leaders. Alumni support the Erb Institute in numerous ways—by encouraging prospective students to apply to Erb, serving as advisors on student projects, and sharing their business sustainability expertise in the classroom, on career panels and through alumni professional-development webinars.

The Erb

OVER THE PAST YEAR:

% 24

Alumni who have provided one-on-one informal career advice to Erb students

21%

Alumni who have talked to and encouraged prospective students to apply to the Erb Institute

Alumni can offer critical career development support to both each other and graduating students.

OVER THE PAST YEAR, ALUMNI HAVE SUPPORTED THE ERB INSTITUTE AND ITS STUDENTS IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS:

Shared internship or job postings Shared news,

Encouraged prospective students to apply Provided one-on-one tools, and professional development activities

Reviewed scholarship applications

informal career advice

Provided mentorship and sponsorship Sponsored summer internship

Erb Institute

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(MAP, SEAS Master’s Project, Project Partnership, etc.)

Served on a career panel or webinar

Alumni offer critical job-placement support for Erb graduating students—close to 20% of former students report that alumni were a critical resource when securing their first post-Erb job.

Alumni also offer valuable career advancement support for each other—more than one in ten of our current alumni report that their alumni peers were valuable in helping them land their current position.

Alumni gifts made directly to the Erb Institute are used solely for supporting student projects.

We are proud to report that half of our alumni have made donations to support student projects! These donations allow our students to develop customized Impact Projects that help them meet their own personal professional-development goals.

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rb Institute alumni are serving as business sustainability leaders across the country and the globe.

About Erb

ALUMNI

“As an economic development professional, I welcome the challenge of creating solutions to foster local smallbusiness growth. My time at Erb helped hone my ability to take a long-term perspective, which will prove to be invaluable as I move forward as a policymaker.”

What type of organization do you currently work for?

For-profit Government Nonprofit/NGO Other

78% 51% 11%

Erb alumni employed by for-profit organizations

Erb Institute

Erb alumni currently earning $125–250K annually

| erb.umich.edu

Erb alumni earning more than $250K annually

Joe Tate, MBA/MS 2017 Michigan State Representative, House District 2

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he Erb Institute’s 450 alumni are working across the U.S. and 21 other countries to move the needle on sustainability.

Where our alumni

WORK

“The Erb experience has given me the foundation that I draw on to build and deploy new initiatives with national and global impact.”

Industry of Employment

21% 17% 15% 11%

Consulting Other Energy/Raw Materials Technology/Telecom Services 7% Retail 5% Financial Services 5% Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals 4% Transportation 4% Manufacturing 4% Consumer Goods 2% Real Estate 2% Education 1% Investment Banking

Information Technology 1% Human Resources 2% Sales 3% Policy/Government Affairs 4% Marketing 4% 7% Operations/Supply Chain 9% Finance 10% Strategic Planning 12% Other 14% General Management 15% Sustainability/Environment 20% Consulting

Primary Functional Area

Erb Institute

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Rachel Sylvan, MBA/MS 2001 Director, Corporate Responsibility, Sodexo

Are you one of the

450+ ALUMNI of the Erb Institute?

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Contact us at erbinstitute@umich.edu and share the impact you’re making in the world of business sustainability.

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