Can solving social and environmental problems be part and parcel of a competitive investment strategy? The answer is yes, according to advocates of impact investing, a strategy that's recently gained attention even from mainstream financial institutions. For five Fridays this spring, MBA candidates explored this question in depth, in a new class led by industry expert Dave Chen, a principal at the Equilibrium Capital Group.

For Amanda Rhodes, MBA '11, the high point of the Center for Sustainable Business Practice's recent trip to San Francisco was seeing the clear connection between what she's been studying and what's being practiced in the working world. “We got to interact with . . . people who are talking about sustainable business on a daily basis, and this is what we're doing here as well," said Rhodes. What surprised the soon-to-be graduate the most? Just how fascinating she found the group's visit with an impact investing firm. Get the inside story in the video above.

Hands-on experience managing live money in emerging markets: How's that for a resume builder? Starting this fall, finance-minded MBA students will have a chance to do just that, by enrolling in a class in which—with faculty oversight—they share the responsibility of managing the school's newly created Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio (EMEP). Though elements are modeled after the successful portfolios managed by the student-run University of Oregon Investment Group, the new fund offers additional layers of complexity.

"Who is this guy?" was the question on everyone's lips when first-year pro triathlete Jesse Thomas came out of nowhere to win this year's prestigious Avia Wildflower Triathlon with a time of 4:04:45. Folks at the Lundquist College of Business knew Thomas as a 2009 graduate of the school's MBA program in the sports marketing track with a secondary concentration in entrepreneurship. After graduating, Thomas put off his job search to follow his dream of becoming a professional athlete.