Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations Announces the Smiley Fellowships

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., April 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Rutgers University's School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR) has established the Smiley Fellowships in economic history to encourage the study of significant issues related to broad-based employee ownership in American history.  

The fellowships were established by Robert W. Smiley Jr. through the auspices of the Employee Ownership Foundation. Smiley is the founder, chair and managing director of The Benefit Capital Companies Inc., a national group of merchant banking firms with offices in California, Hawaii, Nevada, New York and Texas.

Smiley resides in Logandale, Nev.

Smiley's gift will provide funds to support young scholars. "The School of Management and Labor Relations is particularly delighted to welcome the first gift to encourage scholars to examine these important issues in past and contemporary American history," said Dean David Finegold. "The Smiley Fellows will be part of the world's largest group of scholars working in this field, which SMLR created. The new fellowships will benefit Rutgers by deepening the university's research focus with the addition of the lessons of history to the social science and policy studies its faculty is carrying out. "  

Smiley was born in Lansing, Mich., and served in the United States Navy. He is a graduate of Stanford University with a bachelor's degree in economics. He received his law degree from La Salle University in Chicago.      

Smiley has been involved for more than 30 years in employee buyouts throughout the United States. He is the former president of the ESOP Council of America, the predecessor organization of the ESOP Association, a founder of the ESOP Association and an honorary lifetime member of its board of governors. He has served as a member of the extension faculty of the University of California at Los Angeles, was a trustee of the Reason Foundation and has had a long-term special interest in American history.

Smiley also is the managing editor and a lead author of Employee Stock Ownership Plans: ESOP Planning, Financing, Implementation, Law and Taxation, a reference work for business people and legal and financial professionals, published by the Beyster Institute at the University of California at San Diego. He has received an award from the U.S. President's Commission on Pension Policy for his policy work in this area.

Jefferson Decker, a lecturer in history and the Hertog Postdoctoral Fellow at Columbia University, is serving as the first Smiley Fellow in economic history. He received his doctorate in history from Columbia in 2009. He is beginning a study of the political history of investment culture and retirement security in the U.S. during the 1982-2000 bull market in equities.

Commenting on the Rutgers gift and the new fellowships, Smiley said, "I'm delighted to be a part of the Rutgers' School of Management and Labor Relations fellowship program. These young scholars will be studying the role of broad-based employee ownership in our free market economic system. Rutgers' initiative is an important step into the future."

For more information, contact Shino John at 732-445-7582 or [email protected]

SOURCE Rutgers University's School of Management and Labor Relations