Columbia Business School’s Social Enterprise Program announced its annual reception honoring Joel I. Klein, Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, and David Saltzman, Executive Director of the Robin Hood Foundation, with a conversation moderated by Russell L. Carson, February 5, 2008 at 6:30 pm. The event will take place on Columbia’s campus at the Low Memorial Library, 535 West 116th Street at Broadway, New York, NY.
These leaders from the public, nonprofit, and corporate sectors are being recognized as innovators in the field of social enterprise. The panel discussion, entitled “A Discussion of Public-Private Partnerships in Education,” will address the convergence of public and private talent to effect reform in New York City’s public schools. Russell L. Carson, General Partner of Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe and co-chair of the Columbia Business School’s Board of Overseers, will moderate the discussion.
Chancellor Klein is widely known for Children First, his comprehensive reform strategy which has brought accountability to City schools and resulted in significant increases in student performance. David Saltzman has headed Robin Hood for 17 years during which time it has gained widespread recognition for its successes in fighting poverty in New York City. Opening remarks will be delivered Ray Horton, Frank R. Lautenberg Professor of Ethics and Corporate Governance and Director of the Social Enterprise Program. “Separately, the private, public and nonprofit sectors can use business skills to solve social problems, but when they work in partnership, the effects are multiplied” states Professor Horton. “There is no better example of this than the coming together of leaders like Joel Klein, David Saltzman, and Russ Carson, whose efforts to improve New York City’s public schools are serving as a model for innovation in schools across the country”.
The evening also includes the presentation of the Lambert Family Teaching Award, given every year for outstanding teaching in the School’s Social Enterprise curriculum. This year’s recipient is Melissa A. Berman, President & CEO, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc.
About the Social Enterprise Program at Columbia Business School The Social Enterprise Program (SEP) aims to inspire and prepare leaders who create social value in business, nonprofit and government organizations in New York City as well as nationally and internationally. The program is a resource for all MBA students and alumni who seek to apply business skills to social enterprise endeavors at any point in their careers, enabling them to align personal values with professional goals and build careers that bring social benefits to a broader community. SEP teaches innovative strategies and methods used by business to solve social and environmental problems, and serves as an umbrella for a broad range of activities at the School including Public and Nonprofit Management, International Development and Emerging Markets, Social Entrepreneurship, and Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability. For more information visit: www.gsb.columbia.edu/socialenterprise
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