Le Lézard
Subjects: Personnel, Corporate Social Responsibility

Advancing Employee Share Ownership, Rutgers University Appoints 34 Research Fellows


The Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing today appointed 34 scholars and subject matter experts to join its diverse, global community of research fellows. The announcement comes as the Institute convenes its annual Fellows Workshop in Honor of Louis O. Kelso and launches a Coursera Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to educate the public about employee share ownership.

"As researchers and policymakers explore how equity and profit shares in companies can broaden private property ownership, our research fellows are focused on answering critical questions," said Joseph Blasi, the J. Robert Beyster Distinguished Professor and Director of the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing. "Additionally, the free Coursera curriculum will make the insights of the Institute's past and present research fellows accessible to interested citizens, employees, and thought leaders."

The Institute is the world's leading academic research hub dedicated to the study of employee share ownership, equity compensation, profit sharing, and worker cooperatives. The 2022-23 class of research fellows represents the largest and most diverse cohort in the 15-year history of the program. They are:

The Institute made the announcement before its annual Fellows Workshop in Honor of Louis O. Kelso (January 13-15), one of the world's largest convenings of experts on capital shares in the workplace.

Broadening our reach beyond campus, the Institute also revealed the launch of its first Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for the public and employees, "Our Share: Employee Ownership as a Wealth Sharing Tool." Developed by the Institute's Director of Education and Collaboration, Adria Scharf, the free course uses a series of short, engaging videos to introduce the basics of employee share ownership. It is the first course on the virtual learning platform Coursera focused on this topic.

About the School
The Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR) is the world's leading source of expertise on managing and representing workers, designing effective organizations, and building strong employment relationships.

About the Institute
SMLR's Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing conducts empirical research, analyzes policy, and sponsors the leading global fellowship program and academic conferences in the field. The Institute also manages a program to help college professors teach about these subjects (The Curriculum Library for Employee Ownership) and a technical assistance center (The NJ/NY Center for Employee Ownership). One recent initiative (The Employee Ownership Online Education Program), sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, features free online videos to help retiring business owners sell to their employees.

About the Fellowships
The Beyster family established the research fellowship program and the J. Robert Beyster endowed professorship in 2008. With generous support from the Beyster Foundation for Enterprise Development, the Employee Ownership Foundation, and other donors, it has grown to become one of the largest fellowship programs at Rutgers University with more than 200 research fellows and faculty mentors worldwide.



News published on and distributed by: