New department at the University of Southern Denmark
Introducing the new Department of Business and Sustainability at SDU. The department will strengthen Southern Danish businesses and society in general and contributes to addressing significant challenges within environment and sustainability.
The Faculty of Business and Social Sciences at the University of Southern Denmark has established a new department – the Department of Business and Sustainability – which brings together the University’s business, environmental and resource economics activities in Esbjerg, Kolding and Sønderborg into one department.
The department is home to research and educational activities in areas such as entrepreneurship, B2B relations, marketing and consumer behaviour, and resource and circular economy. Together with the Department of Business and Management, the Department of Business and Sustainability is the cornerstone of the University of Southern Denmark Business School.
Dean of the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences, Peter Møllgaard, says:
- With the Department of Business and Sustainability, we create a platform in Jutland for knowledge exchange on how business affects the environment and climate, and how we can ensure sustainable management and business operations.
Knowledge for and with businesses
The Department of Business and Sustainability has approximately 70 employees and is headed by Christian Elmelund-Præstekær, who also serves as Deputy Head of the University of Southern Denmark Business School.
A key ambition with the new department is to further develop and strengthen the already excellent interaction with the surrounding community, in which the new department will be a strong platform for SDU’s collaboration with businesses, organisations and authorities – regionally, nationally and internationally.
Head of Department at the Department of Business and Sustainability, Christian Elmelund-Præstekær, says:
- It is important to me that we continue to create knowledge for and with the companies in the region, and that we endeavour to go even further in our efforts to prepare our surroundings for the future and current challenges, both locally and globally. This includes activities within lifelong learning, and I look forward to engaging in dialogue about this – both externally with our great partners and in relation to the University’s SDUx initiative.
Two new programmes in the pipeline
One of the first tasks for the new department will be to set up two new MSc in Business Economics and Administration to meet current and future needs in the labour market.
The programmes are a new MSc profile in Data Driven Business Development at SDU, Kolding and in Sustainability Management at SDU, Esbjerg.
Both programmes are part of the University of Southern Denmark Business School's education portfolio and are set to welcome their first students in September 2024.