Dear friends and alumni of the EBF program,
Greetings from a wonderful fall season in Happy Valley. I am writing as the current program chair of Energy Business and Finance (EBF), following Dr. Andrew Kleit’s retirement from Penn State earlier this year. I want to acknowledge the many contributions that Dr. Kleit made in creating and leading EBF. The program is now in its twentieth year and still remains unique in its focus on business, economic, and technical education to prepare students for careers in the energy industry. I frequently encounter industry folks who have hired EBF graduates and they have been very impressed with the program.
I have spent the past few years devoted to building up Penn State’s Center for Energy Law and Policy, and am excited to re-engage with the EBF program. There are a number of potential opportunities for EBF students to engage with the center’s work. The EBF program has recently undergone a curriculum revision to keep up with the needs for our graduates to enter the professional world with a broader understanding of energy markets and economics, as well as the ability to think critically about policy options related to clean energy and climate change. We have also introduced EBF coursework on clean energy business strategies as well as public policy drivers of technology transition in the energy industry.
EBF has hired a new teaching professor this year, Dr. Maruf Morshed. Dr. Morshed has expertise in the electricity sector, sustainable fuels, and economic modeling. We are very excited to have Dr. Morshed join our program.
This coming year, I will be working closely with the EBF student society to continue to build a recruiting base for EBF students, and also to better connect to alumni from EBF and the former Mineral Economics program. We would love to hear from alumni! Please reach out and drop us a note to let us know what you have been doing since graduation, at sab51@psu.edu.
Sincerely,
Seth Blumsack
Professor of Energy Policy and Economics and International Affairs, Co-Director, Penn State Center for Energy Law and Policy
Program Chair, Energy Business and Finance