This immersive program explores critical infrastructure risk, resilience, and sustainability with a special focus on Scotland. A unique international learning journey takes students to the areas around Inverness, St Andrews, and Aberdeen for visits to power plants, dams, wind farms, and energy companies. These meetings are centered on the unique geographical and natural resource challenges Scotland faces in consistently and sustainably meeting the utility needs of not only Scotland but the United Kingdom more broadly. Water is a particularly valuable resource, especially for generating electricity, and several dams and power stations have been built since the mid-20th century. Coal and oil each fuel about one-fourth of Scotland’s electric power stations, and nuclear generation accounts for about one-third. In the early 21st century there was a push to develop greater renewable capacity; today, almost one-fifth of Scotland’s electricity is generated by renewable resources. Scotland was at the forefront of research on wave and tidal energy, and it was a global leader in the development and construction of deep-sea offshore wind farms.
Students in this course experience the Cairngorms National Park as well as the East Coast of Scotland during their travel. While on campus, the coursework examines Scotland's energy infrastructure at risk and the economics, finance, and insurance of how resilience is pursued.
Courses
BUS 4055 - Critical Infrastructure Risk & Resilience, and Sustainability (3 credits, undergrad) - Prerequiste: 84 earned hours
MBA 5020 -Sustainable Development Issues (3 credits, graduate)
Credits
BUS 4055 - This course counts as an IB elective (major, approved, required or other), Sustainable Business minor or major concentration elective, COB elective or upper level elective and fulfills the Global Issues requirement.
MBA 5020 - This 3 semester hour course fulfills the international requirement for the MBA program and is an elective for the international business concentration.
Cost
Talk with the program leader regarding the cost of this program.
Leaders
Dr. Lori Medders - meddersla@appstate.edu
Dr. Medders serves as the Joseph F. Freeman Distinguished Professor of Insurance (since August 2017) and as Chair of the Department of Finance, Banking & Insurance (since July 2023) for the Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University. She also served as Director of the Walker College of Business Honors program (2018-23). Prior to joining ASU, she was on faculty at Florida State University (risk and insurance, 2009-17), Georgia State University (risk and insurance, 1999-2008), and Georgia Southern University (finance and economics, 1994-98). Ph.D. in Business Administration - Risk Management & Insurance, Georgia State University (1995); B.S. in Commerce & Business, magna cum laude, University of Alabama (1990).
Austin Eggers - eggersaf@appstate.edu
