Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships

U.S. Commercial Service Partnership

In 2003, Dominican University of California’s School of Business and Leadership and the U.S. Commercial Service launched a unique government/education partnership whereby the North Bay U.S. Export Assistance Center established its offices on the University's campus. This federal government agency helps small and medium-sized companies export goods and services, locate international partners, and establish overseas offices.

This partnership serves the local North Bay business community’s private sector companies through international trade related events on the Dominican campus.  Commercial Service educational opportunities include such events as trade missions, trade shows, delegation visits, webinars, and customized business to business and business to government matchmaking services. The North Bay U.S. Export Assistance Center of the U.S. Department of Commerce, housed at Dominican also provides students with hands-on exposure to international business and trade.

Find out about U.S. Commercial Service Partnership

Net Impact

Net Impact is an international nonprofit organization whose mission is to make a positive impact on society by growing and strengthening a community of leaders who use business to improve the world. They offer a portfolio of programs to educate, equip, and inspire more than 10,000 members to make a tangible difference in their universities, organizations, and communities.

Spanning six continents, their membership makes up one of the most influential networks of MBAs, graduate students, and professionals in existence today. Net Impact members are current and emerging leaders in CSR, social entrepreneurship, nonprofit management, international development, and environmental sustainability who are actively improving the world.

The current leadership team of the Dominican chapter is comprised of ten Green MBA students and three Green MBA alumni. If you are a student in an MBA program at Dominican and decide to join the Dominican University of California chapter, the School of Business and Leadership will pay your dues for your first year of membership.

If you are interested in joining the Dominican Net Impact chapter or in being part of its leadership team, please send an email to Allison Shrier at allison@greenmba.com.

Panetta Institute

Panetta Institute Leadership Seminar: The incoming President of Associated Students of Dominican University (ASDU) attends a one-week seminar at Panetta Institute housed at CSU Monterey Bay. Invitees are incoming student body presidents of 23 CSU campuses, Dominican University of California, and Santa Clara University.

Panetta Institute Congressional Internship Program: Through a competitive selection process, one Dominican student leader is selected who is prepared and interested in serving our community, state and nation. The one-semester program begins with a two-week orientation at the Panetta Institute at CSU Monterey Bay. Following the training and orientation, the Dominican student intern is placed at a congressional office in Washington D.C. where the student will work for the fall semester.

Environmental Finance Center

Environmental Finance Center for EPA Region 9 works with Green MBA faculty and students to develop and implement green business practices. EFC9 coordinates the Green Business Programs for California, Hawaii, Arizona, and Nevada. The office encourages businesses in those states to adopt source reduction, pollution prevention, and energy efficiency. Find out more about EFC9 at: http://www.efcwest.org/.

Dominican Center for Sustainability

The Dominican Center for Sustainability is focused on education, research, and training in the area of environmental sustainability. The Center partners with Dominican faculty and staff, business, government and other universities by designing, implementing, coordinating, and evaluating multiple environmental initiatives, focused on practical solutions and innovative responses to the extraordinary challenges of climate change, energy constraints, pollution and waste.

Primary Goals

• Using an integrated, systemic approach the Center engages in collaborative research, program development, and public education programs designed to help business and society adapt and thrive in a sustainable environment
• Provides a forum to bring together all Dominican green programs and initiatives (both internal and external), on a regular basis in order to share best practices, strategize on research and action plans designed to promote environmental sustainability, and act as a think tank for new and ongoing green projects   

Organizational Structure

The Center is a Dominican-based collaborative made up of a consortium of environmentally-focused entities and/or programs including principal partners:

• Dominican Green MBA Program
• Environmental Finance Center for Region 9 (EFC9)
• Greening Dominican Task Force
• The Environmental Certificate Program Initiatives at Dominican
• The Institute for Leadership Studies
• The Institute for Environmental Entrepreneurship
• Center for Sustainability