2007 Faculty Pioneers

Jeffery Robinson, from New York University, has been named the winner in the Rising Star category. This award is given for extraordinary contributions and promise early in an academic career across a variety of activities that may include research, teaching, and impact on academic institutions and management practices.

Robinson has deepened his contribution to research and pedagogy in social entrepreneurship over the past year. Extending his earlier post-Katrina research, he is currently analyzing the role of entrepreneurship in the rebuilding of New Orleans. In recent trips he has documented the return of inner city businesses in the Lower Ninth Ward, the establishment of a statewide business grant program, and the activities of social entrepreneurs who are engaged in rebuilding and restoring communities. His work highlights how social entrepreneurs navigate social and institutional barriers to create social and economic value. Robinson is contributing to the pedagogy of social entrepreneurship with a new research paper, "Teaching Social Entrepreneurship: Themes and Patterns," that analyzes the content of social entrepreneurship courses throughout the world. He will present it in May 2008 at the NYU Conference of Social Entrepreneurs, a forum that he will co-host at NYU Stern.