SMLR Info

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – The Rutgers University Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing today announced the launch of the  first academic network dedicated to fostering collaboration among university-based initiatives that advance the study and practice of employee share ownership. 

The University Consortium on Employee Share Ownership will bring together more eleven major universities, convened by the Rutgers Institute, the oldest and largest university-based center of its kind.

“We recognize growing interest and new generations of scholars, policymakers and practitioners interested in employee share ownership,” said Joseph Blasi, J. Robert Beyster Distinguished Professor and Director of the Rutgers Institute. “This consortium is an informal voluntary grouping based on cooperation, with each university offering the endeavors that are its strengths and helping the others. By connecting new initiatives to established resources and encouraging mutual support, it seeks to enhance scholarship and support the program development of member institutions.” 

Consortium partners each have an institutional body of work in employee share ownership. 

Several have been operating for decades; more are relatively new, reflecting growth in the field. Partners generally engage in one or more of the following areas of work: 

• Research and teaching on employee share ownership

• Practice such as policy analysis, community engagement, and convening

• Professional education for company leaders, employees, and service providers

Participants become part of the largest community in the world of scholars and practitioners studying and supporting employee share ownership.  In addition to the Rutgers Institute, other cooperating universities and major educational institutions include:

• Beyster Institute at University of California San Diego Rady School of Management

• California State University - East Bay, College of Business and Economics

• Kellogg College, University of Oxford, Center for Mutual and Co-owned Businesses

• Kelso Institute Europe at Europa-Universitat Viadrina Frankfurt

• Kent State University, Ohio Employee Ownership Center 

• Saint Mary’s University, International Centre for Co-operative Management

• The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program

• The New School, Institute for Digital Cooperative Economy

• University of Colorado - Boulder, Media Economies Design Lab

• University of Northern Iowa, Wilson College of Business

• White Rose Centre of Employee Ownership at University of Leeds 

The consortium will collaborate with the National Center for Employee Ownership and other non-profit organizations in the field to carry out joint projects.

“This invaluable set of relationships and access to resources is intended to undergird the growth and success of new and existing university centers,” said Rutgers Institute Senior Director Melissa Hoover, who is leading the consortium effort. “We expect the consortium to grow and we welcome new prospective partners.” 

The Ford Foundation is providing initial support to launch the consortium. 

The University Consortium on Employee Share Ownership will convene its first in-person meeting at the Rutgers Institute Mid-Year Fellows Workshop in Honor of Louis O. Kelso in January 2025.  

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. Joseph Blasi, the J. Robert Beyster Distinguished Professor, serves as the Institute’s Director.

The Institute offers a Coursera course (Our Share: Employee Ownership as a Wealth Sharing Tool) that is available to students worldwide. It 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.

Contact

Melissa Hoover
Senior Director, Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing 
415.309.5983 (cell)
melissa.hoover@rutgers.edu