In early March, Emory Goizueta launched The Roberto C. Goizueta Business & Society Institute, renaming Social Enterprise at Goizueta. The new name represents an elevated commitment to social and environmental impact from the business school and The Goizueta Foundation. Furthermore, the Institute creates interdisciplinary study that explores the connections between business practices, market structures and social and environmental outcomes. In particular, business students will address the challenges of inequality and climate change.
Launch Event
300 people, a mix of current students, prospective students, and staff, enjoyed the Institute’s naming ceremony virtually on March 4th. Goizueta Business School Associate Professor and Executive Academic Director Wes Longhofer gave remarks during the hour-long event. He reflected on what the Institute means and the bigger mission at hand. Additionally, a Harvard professor, Rebecca Henderson, discussed ways to address inequalities and set the narrative for the Institute. Alumni also contributed testimonials during the opening event.
“Relationships and networks are needed for businesses to succeed. We’ve always believed at our Social Enterprise Center that, in order for businesses to thrive, they need to be embedded in a healthy planet. And we’re taking that same approach to the Institute. This is a really exciting opportunity for us to reimagine business education,” Longhofer told Clear Admit after the event.
Programs in The Roberto C. Goizueta Business & Society Institute
Over the past ten years, interest in social impact at Goizueta has grown. Class had started with 16 participants and now 200-300 students are involved with the Institute. The Institute offers several programs. First, Start:ME is an intensive 14-week business accelerator program for promising micro-entrepreneurs in marginalized metro Atlanta communities, including business training, mentorship, and early stage financing to develop their businesses. Second, Grounds for Empowerment provides female specialty coffee farmers in Latin America the market connections and business knowledge to grow their farms. The program has served 50 female coffee farmers in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Third, Social Enterprise Fellows provides Goizueta MBA and BBA students with hands-on education, exposure, and experiences to become the next social impact leaders in their industries.
The school expects to continue to add new initiatives addressing strategic focus areas of delivering a more equitable and climate-smart world.
Read the full press release here.
