Message from the Directors
Welcome to Duke University’s Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE). A research and education center, CASE was established at the Fuqua School of Business in 2002 with generous seed funding from The Atlantic Philanthropies. Since that time, CASE has been dedicated to promoting and supporting the field of social entrepreneurship through a mutual learning process that engages MBA students, business school faculty, and social sector leaders. But what exactly is “social entrepreneurship?”
We provide a more detailed definition
elsewhere on this website, but quite simply, social entrepreneurship
is about the efforts of private citizens to craft innovative, effective,
and sustainable responses to social needs. These efforts occur in
a range of organizations – new and old; large and small; religious
and secular; nonprofit, for-profit, and “hybrid.” Social
entrepreneurs also operate across a wide spectrum of fields, or
industries, including health, human services, arts, education, economic
development, and the environment. What unites them all is a common
purpose: to improve the world in which we live.
CASE was founded on a deep respect for the talent, passion, and
dedication of the countless individuals who have devoted their lives
to working for the common good. This work is difficult and involves
unparalleled challenges. We do not presume to offer easy answers;
nor do we think that the social sector should be recreated in the
image of business. However, we do believe that social sector leaders,
business school faculty, and MBA students and alumni can all benefit
by joining in a systematic search for better ways to develop, sustain,
and spread innovative and effective responses to social needs. Through
thoughtful application of business expertise, we aim to foster entrepreneurial
responses to social problems.
CASE’s work falls into three broad areas: knowledge development and dissemination; MBA involvement in the social sector; and increasing awareness of the field. Through these activities, and this website, CASE seeks to serve students, alumni, faculty, and social sector leaders. And while most of our activities are based here at Duke, we hope our reach extends well beyond the ivory towers of this University and engages passionate individuals, institutions, and organizations from around the globe in search of meaningful, entrepreneurial ways to make a difference.
Thanks so much for your interest in CASE. We hope you find this website useful, and if you have any ideas for ways we can improve it, please let us know. Best of luck in your socially entrepreneurial endeavors!
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