Research. Education. Impact.
Food Security as Social Responsibility
The David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership at the University of Pittsburgh has developed a number of research and applied research projects within the area of food security as social responsibility. One is a scorecard, called the Food Abundance Index (FAI), that measures food security within a neighborhood or geographic area. The index was created to determine the access to and availability of healthy, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food and to eliminate “food deserts”—areas where healthy, affordable food is difficult to obtain.
The technical report that outlines the creation, use, and impact of FAI, as well as the potential contributions it can make and benefits that can accrue through its deployment, is available through the Berg Center and in PDF format below. In addition, the center offers a user’s toolkit and training workshops in an effort to eliminate food deserts. The report provides an overview of the FAI scorecard to help individuals, communities, and regions lay the foundation for improving food security and raising communities’ economic status, health, and overall well-being.
GLOBAL SERVICE LEARNING: Provides an opportunity for undergraduate CBA students to experience social, cultural and environmental issues by participating in a service learning project in Bolivia, Puerto Rico or Trinidad. For more information: https://abroad.pitt.edu/gsl
Community Impact: Volunteer Impact Tax Program (VITA)
Volunteer Tax Assistance Program (VITA). Is an IRS initiative designed to support free tax preparation services for the underserved through various partner organizations such as the United Way of Southwestern PA. This service helps low to moderate-income individuals, person with disabilities, the elderly and limited speakers file their taxes each year for free. As part of the Berg Center’s commitment to community engagement, we have partnered with United Way to provide this service to Pittsburgh community.
This program challenges accounting students to consider the community impact of accounting while gaining experience in working with individual taxes. This program has broadened the Berg Center’s impact by including accounting faculty and students in a program that has a direct benefit to the residents from communities in and around the university’s Oakland campus as well as assisting our international population. The program is conducted at Carnegie Library in Oakland, which is the largest library in the City of Pittsburgh. For more information please contact Jocelyn Carlin, jcL2@pitt.edu or Ingrid Gomez-O’Toole, ing7@pitt.edu.
Socially Responsible Investment Club
Examine the impact and parameters of socially responsible financial investing, learn about the connection between a firm’s performance and its ethical business practices, and understand the importance of an individual’s fiscal responsibility and financial stewardship by joining the Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Club.
Under the leadership of Jay Sukits, a clinical associate professor in the finance area, student teams meet regularly to discuss criteria for social responsibility, understand issues of financial stewardship, and monitor firms’ performance. Some discussions are held in the Financial Analysis Laboratory, which offers real-time data and access to a wealth of financial information.
The SRI Club received a $100,000 endowment that enables students to invest real money in their portfolios.
For more information or to get involved, please contact Jay Sukits at jsukits@katz.pitt.edu.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
In combination with real-world experience, the Katz MBA program has built my skills in ethical leadership, teamwork, and strategic thinking, and provided both the foundation and the confidence necessary for handling complex business situations in the future.
I chose Katz because of the world-class faculty and students: the professors here are well-versed in their fields, passionate about teaching, and want to see their students succeed academically and professionally; the students are dedicated to excellence and form an excellent professional network.
