Explore the intersection of sustainability and materiality and the implications for companies and investors
Registration is closed. Please submit the contact form for upcoming course dates.
About the course:
Colorado State University’s College of Business is proud to be an approved FSA Credential Course Provider. We are excited to bring the first exam – Level 1 – of the FSA credential to our students and our community.
The Level 1 curriculum explores the need for sustainability accounting standards. Throughout the course, students will engage with the practice of sustainability accounting and disclosure, explore how sustainability factors can affect the value and performance of an enterprise or investment and immerse themselves in the language used to effectively communicate financially material sustainability information to stakeholders. Students will also be introduced to the SASB Standards and how to apply them.
This course prepares students for the Level 1 exam only. To receive the FSA credential, students will need to complete Level 2 separately. Visit the FSA website to learn more about the FSA credential.
Meet Your Instructor: Lauren F. Paul, M.S., M.B.A.
Lauren Paul joined the College of Business in 2019. She has taught courses at the undergraduate level in the fundamentals of both financial and managerial accounting and at the graduate level for CSU’s IMPACT MBA program. Lauren is excited to be teaching the Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting courses to foster a common language and shared understanding in capturing ESG efforts across industries.
Prior to academia, Lauren worked in the non-profit space, manufacturing, and consulting. She has volunteered for various accounting organizations, including a 3 year term as President of the Northern Colorado chapter of the Accounting and Financial Women’s Alliance. Lauren holds both a B.A. in Spanish and Fine Art from the University of Colorado, Boulder and a M.Acc and an MBA from the University of Colorado, Denver. Her diverse background allows her to pivot and adapt as needed to support student success. She likes the analogy of teaching accounting to the performance of an orchestra – it is better to play a basic arrangement beautifully and impeccably than to try to perform a complex piece inadequately; the overall experience is better for the musicians and onlookers alike.
Learning Outcomes
- Identify the factors that dictate how investors use sustainability information
- Recognize how the history of financial and non-financial disclosure influences today’s global markets
- Understand the role that sustainability plays in corporate strategy and risk management
- Explore how sustainability information is used in public equities, private markets, and corporate fixed income
- Learn SASB’s current standard-setting process