Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise
Market-Based Solutions to Vital Economic Issues
The past year has been extraordinary in many ways. The continuing COVID-19 pandemic has upended all aspects of our lives, roiled world markets and compelled vigorous debates about the intersection of business, data-driven research and public policy. But through it all, the Kenan Institute has remained a voice of reason and clarity.
The Kenan Institute produces cutting-edge, rigorous thought leadership that is accessible and actionable for a broad audience of business leaders and policy creators. This past year, we have made investments to increase our reach and expand our ability to respond to the latest in business and economic news, including the addition of Chief Economist Gerald Cohen, an expanded schedule of Kenan Insights and monthly preview Outlook.
To engage UNC Kenan-Flagler faculty in our work to leverage the private sector for the public good, we formed the Business & Society Research Working Group in partnership with the school's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Initiative. In the inaugural meeting, Professor Olga Hawn presented her ongoing research on corporate sociopolitical activism and its consequences.
This fall, we welcomed Kenan Institute Chief Economist Gerald Cohen, Ph.D., who will be at the forefront of the institute's response to the timely challenges at the intersection of business and society and help decision-makers understand the nuances of those challenges.
Kenan Institute Chief Economist Gerald Cohen highlights five hot topics — from labor shortages to cryptocurrency — that business leaders and policymakers will grapple with in 2022.
In 2021, the Kenan Institute Frontiers of Entrepreneurship conference went virtual and was held over two days.
The annual conference included four panels on topics related to funding:
Each session also featured a presentation of the related portion of the Trends in Entrepreneurship Report, which brought together expertise and data from academia, industry, and policymakers to highlight relevant topics facing entrepreneurs and investors today.
A $2 million grant from the Truist Foundation, announced in October 2021, will fund the Anchor Institutions Create Economic Resilience program, or AICER, housed within CREATE at the Kenan Institute. The AICER program works with anchor institutions — such as universities, tribal and local government, and hospitals — to source their goods and services from minority-owned firms, rural businesses and local suppliers in COVID-impacted communities.
Check out the program in action!
In 2021, the Kenan Institute launched the diversity, equity, inclusion and solutions (DEIS) certificate course – a new collaboration with the UNC Kenan-Flagler Entrepreneurship Center, Stanford University, Duke University and Opportunity Hub (OHUB), a multi-campus coworking space and tech hub for founders from underestimated and under-tapped communities. In this one-of-a-kind certificate program, participants engaged with nationally known experts to understand how to critically examine key business functions and explore solutions to difficult DEI problems.
The UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Dean's Speaker Series recruits globally prominent private and public sector leaders to speak at UNC Kenan-Flagler. These world-class experts offer insightful perspectives on a broad range of timely issues, and share the highlights, challenges and turning points of their individual career paths.
Our theme for 2022 will be stakeholder capitalism, the idea that businesses would improve societal outcomes by focusing on a mandate broader than that which benefits shareholders alone. We will explore this theme through in-depth and translational research; forums, conferences and other convenings; and in discussions and symposia with our partners in academia, business practice and policy.
The past year has been extraordinary in many ways. The continuing COVID-19 pandemic has upended all aspects of our lives, roiled world markets and compelled vigorous debates about the intersection of business, data-driven research and public policy. But through it all, the Kenan Institute has remained a voice of reason and clarity.
