Bauer Power

Located in the energy capital of the world, the C. T. Bauer College of Business continuously elevates curriculum to fuel one of Houston's most thriving industries, supported by the Gutierrez Global Energy Management Institute (GEMI).

When the institute was founded in 2001, traditional resources like oil and gas led the market. The courses were designed to prepare students for a workforce powered by conventional energy sources, but as the business landscape evolved, so did GEMI, Executive Director Greg Bean said.

In recent years, the institute has broadened its curriculum to include clean, renewable energy sources, he added. However, energy trading has always been a pillar to GEMI.

“We have more than 30 energy-related classes between undergraduate and graduate students,” Bean said. “We are constantly looking at the industry to see what we need to be adding to our curriculum.”

One of the ways the institute maintains its relevancy is through a dedicated Advisory Board that brings a wealth of operational knowledge and experience to help improve students’ quality of education.

“Energy is a fast-paced industry,” Department of Finance Chair and founding GEMI Faculty Director Praveen Kumar said. “When things are moving fast, you need professionals and executives who are in that world every day to inform what we teach at the institutional level.”

S&P Global Senior Director of Business Development Amy Gasca has been helping shape the curriculum since joining the board in 2017. As adjunct faculty, she brings more than 35 years of experience to the classroom.

For nearly a decade, she has taught a graduate level course on the power market, which offers a comprehensive overview of electricity’s innovative history. In class, they discuss regulations, functionality across states, governance and, most importantly, supply and demand.

“It is important that our energy future leaders know where we were, where we are and where we’re going,” Gasca said.

Power is something that is often taken for granted because of the ease of usage in everyday life, she added. However, by understanding where energy comes from, both historically and literally, students are better equipped to handle changes in this evolving industry.

“It is important that our energy future leaders know where we were, where we are and where we’re going."

Amy Gasca, S&P Global Senior Director of Business Development

This fall, the Energy Power Markets course will be offered to undergraduate students and taught by Braemar Capital Partners founder and partner Jay Hellums (BBA ‘84).

As an alumnus, Hellums has given back to his Bauer family by sitting on the GEMI Advisory Board, mentoring students and guest lecturing. This academic year, he will be leading the classroom as adjunct faculty.

“Students are expressing interest, and hopefully passion, for the energy industry, and they have devoted their education to working in the field,” Hellums said. “Employers see that, and these are the people they want to hire.”

With Bauer located in the heart of Houston, the city benefits from having a great university at its center, he added. Companies have access to newly graduated professionals who have the talent and drive to push the economy forward, he said, so it is their responsibility to set them up for success.

“Is electricity a commodity — a good that can be traded and restricted — or is it an essential service that every person has a right to?” Hellums asks.

Throughout the course of the semester, he not only poses the question to his students, but helps them to come to their own conclusion.