On Wednesday, February 18, more than 400 alumni, faculty members, students and friends of the School gathered in the Low Library Rotunda to honor Professor Ray Horton at the Social Enterprise Program’s annual reception.
For more than three decades, Ray, the Frank R. Lautenberg Professor of Ethics and Corporate Governance, has worked tirelessly to transform the role that Columbia Business School students play in business and society. In 1983, he founded the School’s Public and Nonprofit Management Program, which was later renamed the Social Enterprise Program and broadened to include social entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibility and international development. (Read a recent interview with Ray on the elements that have shaped the thinking of students in the program over the last 25 years on Public Offering.)
Although Ray is retiring from his position as director of the Social Enterprise Program, he will carry on his work as the new director of Columbia Business School Executive Education’s newly established social enterprise programs.
A group of 250 (and counting) donors — including faculty members, administrators and alumni — have established the Ray Horton Social Enterprise Fund in honor of his legacy at the School.
“Ray’s efforts have had a remarkable effect on graduates who have entered all sectors, and he has tirelessly built the School’s social enterprise community over the years,” Dean Glenn Hubbard said. “One measure alone is the number of students interested in the program: The number has exploded, from about 50 students before 2000 to 450 students today.
“The School’s Social Enterprise Program — with its emphasis on the role of business in finding social and environmental solutions — is more relevant than ever, not only because of the times, but thanks in large part to all the work Ray and his team have poured into the program.”
To contribute to the Ray Horton Social Enterprise Fund, please contact Sarah Haberman at 212-851-4321 or make a gift online.