What were 27 Columbia Business School students doing in Austin, Texas from November 6 – 9? Trying to take over the world of course. Well, actually they were all members from Columiba’s Social Enterprise Club attending the 11th annual Net Impact Conference and comprising the 5th biggest business school delegation in the country at the conference in Austin, Texas.   Net Impact is a network of business students, professors and industry leaders who hope to use the power of business to drive positive social change. Every year since the network’s founding 12 years ago its annual conference has grown. This year over 600 students from over 75 business schools and 200 professionals attended the conference entitled, “From Corporation to Community: Building a Network for Change.”   Before discussing the conference, we are happy to report that the students of the quintessential business school are also the first and the last to take to the dance floor. Columbia Business School student-ambassadors deserve special self-congratulation for their uncanny ability to transform a bunch of mild-mannered do-gooders from other schools into a pulsating frenzy of dancing maniacs.   The Columbia crew also distinguished itself in other, more subtle ways, including: significantly higher observed tips, significantly higher use of and willingness to pay for cabs, significant and extremely above average, late night “networking” success.   The Columbia Business School group kicked off the weekend’s busy schedule with a rowdy dinner in grand Tex-Mex style in downtown Austin on Thursday night. Fortunately for the heroes of this story (our students of course) that night also happened to be the first Thursday night of the month. For those unfamiliar with Austin tradition, the first Thursday of every month is a celebratory time when shops stay open late, restaurants are teeming with Austin’s unique population, and street vendors and musicians line the streets. The entire city of Austin (or at least that’s what it seemed like) turned out for the affair and our students were proud to represent Columbia University there.   This year’s conference, hosted by the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas, Austin, began the next morning with a business expo attended by companies and organizations practicing and promoting socially responsible business, both in the corporate and nonprofit sectors.   Some of the organizations represented included: Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte Consulting, Dow Chemical, GE Wind, Ford Motor Company, Nike (not the most popular of tables), the Walt Disney Company, the Aspen Institute, Chevron Texaco, Honest Tea, Herman Miller and the Department of Labor. Case study competitions from around the country were also represented, including our very own Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC) who was well advertised by 27 students attending the conference sporting very trendy GSVC shirts.   The phenomenal key note speakers at the conference included Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund, Seth Goldman, president and TeaEO of Honest Tea, and Reginald Van Lee, senior vice president in the New York office of Booz Allen Hamilton (a name near and dear to many of our students’ hearts).   Panels at this year’s conference ranged from “The Future of Hydrogen Fuel Cells” to “Client and Community Impact: The current state of micro-lending” to chapter building panels such as, “Supporting Socially Responsible Career Paths: Chapters Can Make a Difference!”   Some of the other speakers at the conference included Mark Adams, manager of Business Operations and Communications at Intel Corporation, Dr. Mark S. Albion, author of the best seller, “Making a Life, Making a Living,” Janie Barrera, president and CEO of ACCION Texas, Bill Blake, manager of Emissions Trading at Shell, Chris Campbell, senior associate at Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Meghan Chapple, from the World Resource Institute’s Sustainable Enterprise Program, Stephen M. Delfin, director of Community Relations at Booz Allen Hamilton, James Field, senior vice president at Bank of America, Dr. Brian P. Flannery, strategy and programs manager in the Safety, Health and Environment Department at Exxon Mobile Corporation.   Needless to say, it was a busy weekend for our students. On Friday night, the carnivores of the group indulged in more Texan fare – Texas barbeque! The vegetarians opted for tapas instead and then partied the night away.   Saturday was the last night of the conference and concluded with a night of wild dancing and debauchery unmatched by anything Uris Deli has even seen.   Who says that taking over the world is no fun?