Going Green: Earn an Energy Management Certificate from Oakland University
Managing and Engineering a Sustainable Energy Enterprise
A partnership of OU's School of Business Administration and School of Engineering and Computer Science
Energy usage and its sustainability are becoming crucially important issues facing many organizations. Firms have to evaluate energy alternatives strategically and manage business processes efficiently to address the broader stakeholder values – environmental, economic and social. Simultaneously, engineering activities related to processes, products and services need to adapt to a changing regulatory, tax, supply chain and demand environments. To achieve this, management and engineering perspectives need to be integrated for effective energy management.
The emerging clean energy sector is poised to expand significantly. During the previous decade, jobs in the clean energy economy grew at a national rate of 9.1 percent while traditional jobs grew by only 3.7 percent. More than quintupling the current count, 4.2 million green jobs are expected to be created by 2038, and could provide as much as 10 percent of new job growth over the next 30 years (see “U.S. Mayors Green Jobs Report of 2008”). Thus, people with the skill sets to solve and manage energy problems in a dynamic environment will add more value to the organization.
Oakland University's School of Business Administration and School of Engineering and Computer Science are partnering to deliver a new professional certificate program that supports the transition to a new energy economy by preparing professionals to differentiate themselves in their careers, and help their organizations become sustainable enterprises.
About OU's Energy Management Certificate Program
This six-week program will educate engineering and business professionals from any organization interested in reducing energy costs, boosting bottom line performance and becoming more competitive by ensuring participants can:
- Understand energy usage and utilization options that lead to cost and energy savings.
- Apply sustainable principles to operations that reduce costs and/or enhance corporate reputation.
- Acquire real-world skills to evaluate, analyze and implement the best conventional and/or alternative energy choices.
Registration Information
The cost of the certificate program is $2,000, which includes all materials and lunches. Classes are held Fridays, noon to 4 p.m., and Saturdays, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The first session will be held in in the Shotwell-Gufstason Pavilion, 401 Sunset Lane.
Register online for Fall 2012 here.
Register online for Winter 2012 here.
To learn more about the modules and schedule, contact Maureen Callaghan at mpcallag@oakland.edu or (248) 412-3235.
Download a registration form to complete and mail or fax in.
Download a program brochure here.
Module Descriptions
EM1 Fundamentals of Energy and Energy Management
Lead Instructors: Professors Chris Kobus and TBA
This module provides an overview of energy supply and usage, discuss rationale for energy management, and outline principles of effective energy management. It will review energy conservation principles, and emphasize effective use of energy to enhance a firm's competitive position in the market by examining the role of energy in the firms' overall strategy, its business chain and the corresponding energy value chain.
EM2 Analysis of Energy Alternatives
Lead Instructors: Professors Robert Nehmer and Sankar Sengupta
In this module, participants are introduced to energy auditing as a means to determine energy usage in their own organizations, discuss available energy technologies to meet their organizations' energy demand, and conduct an economic analysis to determine best alternative(s). The participants will also be introduced to statistical analyses of process data and application of lean principles and six sigma methodology in energy systems.
EM3 Implementation of Energy Strategies
Lead Instructors: Professors Henry Aigbedo and Michael Polis
Participants will put their knowledge learned in the first two modules to use by working on an energy management project. The participants tour a facility to observe various concepts at work. They will learn how to establish and maintain an energy management program in their own organizations. They will also learn about relevant energy frameworks, standards and practices (eg LEED, Energy Star, etc.).
Read the PDF here for a list of major topics and weekly content covered in each module.
Module Schedule for Fall 2012/Winter 2013
Held Fridays, noon to 4 p.m., starting with lunch, and Saturdays, 8:30 a.m.
to 4 p.m., including a lunch break. The program consists of three
modules (50 total contact hours) as described below. Each module runs
for two weeks -- for a total of six content weeks.
The Fall certificate program is offered Oct. 5 through Nov. 16, 2012. It spans
seven weeks with a break scheduled for October 26 & 27. During break week,
online instruction will be offered.
The Winter 2013 program is offered Jan. 11 through Feb. 16, 2013. It spans
six weeks.
Fall 2012
Winter 2013
Instructor Biographies
Henry Aigbedo, associate professor, Production Operations Management, received a Ph.D. in Management Science and Engineering from the University of Tsukuba, Japan. He acquired industrial experience through work or field research at companies in Nigeria, Japan, and the United States. His research interests include just-in-time manufacturing and lean systems, mass customization, quality management, the impact of sustainability and green initiatives on firms and supply chains. More
Chris Kobus, associate professor, Mechanical Engineering, received a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Oakland University. Kobus runs a DOE-funded research program focused on biomass energy generation, biomass densification, mechanical means of wind energy storage, combined heat-power systems (CHP) and biofuels. More
Robert Nehmer, associate professor, Accounting, received a Ph.D. in Accountancy from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Nehmer has research interests in formal systems, XBRL, internal controls, risk assessment, natural language and sustainability, and critical theory. More
Michael Polis, professor and chair, Industrial and Systems Engineering, received a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University. Polis was previously the Director of Systems Theory and Operations Research Program at the National Science Foundation. His research interests are in energy systems optimization, transportation systems and the identification, estimation and control of distributed parameter systems. He currently serves as an Associate Editor for Book Reviews for the IEEE Control Systems Magazine. More
Sankar Sengupta, associate professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering, received a Ph.D. from Clemson University. Sengupta has considerable previous experience in industry. His research interests include application of lean principles in manufacturing, application of six sigma methodology to control process variation, modeling and analysis of behavior of a supply chain, and productivity improvement and cost reduction in manufacturing, service and healthcare systems. More
Robert A. Uptegraff, Jr. is a Visiting Lecturer in Accounting & Finance at the School of Business Administration of Oakland University. Robert has over 20 years experience teaching Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Managerial Finance, Advanced Financial Management, Financial Administration, Financial Markets, International Finance, and Money & Banking at numerous universities here in the United States and Mexico and has previously assisted course development in Derivative Strategies. Uptegraff's main research interests include corporate control and agency theory, the agency costs of managerial discretion, managerial incentives and its impact on firm value, and the efficiency implications of derivatives and security ownership. He is a member of the American Accounting Association, American Finance Association, and the Financial Management Association. More