NEW YORK, NY. - October 29, 2008 "“ The Aspen Institute Center for Business Education (Aspen CBE), the Foundation for Enterprise Development (FED) and the Employee Ownership Foundation (EOF) today announced their collaboration on the creation of a Curriculum Library on Employee Ownership (CLEO). CLEO will be housed on CasePlace.org, Aspen CBE’s free online resource for up-to-date case studies, syllabi and other innovative teaching materials on business and sustainability. The site will now offer the largest collection of university teaching materials on employee ownership-including such areas as broad-based equity compensation and shared capitalism-available to business school faculty.

Aspen CBE has also created a new teaching module within the entrepreneurship discipline and a faculty briefing paper that specifically address the question of employee ownership in business today.

"CasePlace, which is the leading resource for business school teaching materials that incorporate social and environmental elements into mainstream business school discussion topics, is the perfect home for this new employee-ownership focused library," said Rich Leimsider, director of Aspen CBE. "In light of the turbulence and change businesses have recently been experiencing, employee ownership offers an interesting perspective into the role of business in society. It is important that the next generation of business leaders understand that a variety of business models exist and we are delighted to be working with FED and EOF on this project."

In addition to CLEO, the three organizations have announced the funding of a competitive dissertation proposal award for doctoral students who are conducting trailblazing research on employee ownership. Applications for this award will be accepted starting in Spring 2009. More information will be available at that time on the websites of these collaborating organizations.

"The relevance of ownership models for today's students is higher than ever before," said Mary Ann Beyster, FED president. "Now, for the first time, there is a place for collecting and disseminating university-based research and teaching materials on the principles and mechanisms of employee ownership. The FED and EOF share a common mission "“ to ensure a better understanding and awareness of where employee ownership can make a difference in individual wealth and well-being, competitiveness, national innovation and development. It is exciting to see very talented faculty and students engaged in this field. Working with Aspen CBE has helped place employee ownership into content for the 21st century organization."

"I am pleased the Employee Ownership Foundation is able to take part in this new collaborative initiative working with Aspen CBE and FED," said Joseph Cabral, chair of the EOF. "This tool will help business students and entrepreneurs build a solid understanding of employee ownership, the role it plays in the business world today, and gain an appreciation of its potential to positively impact the future."

The Foundation for Enterprise Development (FED) was established in 1986 by Dr. J. Robert Beyster to help promote the concept of broad-based, participative employee ownership and entrepreneurism. As a private foundation, the organization promotes these business principles and practices through catalyzing new research, education, policy development and knowledge sharing that helps cultivate future generations of entrepreneurs in science and technology communities. The FED is currently sponsoring research fellowships on employee ownership at six universities. Applications are now being accepted. For more information visit www.fed.org.

The Employee Ownership Foundation (EOF) supports research, education and public awareness programs that will increase the level of understanding and appreciation of the benefits of employee ownership and increase the number of employees who have access to this benefit. For more information, check out www.employeeownershipfoundation.org.

The Aspen Institute Center for Business Education (Aspen CBE) equips business leaders for the 21st century with a new management paradigm-the vision and knowledge to integrate corporate profitability and social value. To that end it provides business educators cutting-edge classroom resources and creates peer networks to incorporate social and environmental stewardship into teaching, research and curriculum development.

Aspen CBE is part of the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program, an organization dedicated to developing leaders for a sustainable global society. Through dialogues and path-breaking research, it creates opportunities for executives and educators to explore new pathways to sustainability and values-based leadership. Go to www.AspenCBE.org for more information.

Aspen Institute

Aspen Institute

The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute has campuses in Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also maintains offices in New York City and has an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org or follow on Twitter @AspenInstitute.

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