Archive for April, 2009

By Peter Eliassen ‘06

In the past month, I was fortunate to have met with many thought leaders and practitioners in the field of social enterprise both at the Ross School of Business (University of Michigan) and at the Skoll World Forum at the Said Business School (University of Oxford, England).  VisionSpring’s Founder and Chairman, Dr. Jordan Kassalow, was recognized as one of nine social entrepreneurs to receive the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship; a big moment in our organization’s history.  I wanted to highlight some key takeaways and thoughts that I had from these recent experience. I am eager to hear your perspectives.
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By Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy ‘91

Fellow blogger Laura Libman asked the question, “What is Self-Development?” Rather than send a long comment, I decided to do a quick separate post to offer some thoughts on her very interesting question. … After 12 years in the nonprofit arena working on private sector initiatives, through the creation of institutions and programs that are designed to lead to “self-development,” it is clear that providing tools and training leading to that development is not enough.
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Those of you that have read some of my postings in the past know that I believe very strongly in the correlation between business and peace. In my opinion, it is the establishment of small businesses serving the local needs of a community that is the first step towards creating larger stable environments. Many entrepreneurs in conflict areas are business people out of necessity. They need to eat. They need to take care of their families.  When people are hungry and desperate, that is when they join a fight, looking for a way to make a change. But when they have the money to invest in their family, health care, and education, the need for conflict lessens.
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