GRAY GHOST IS VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT THEY DO. THEY WANT TO HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE FUTURE OF THE WORLD, AND OUR STUDENTS REPRESENT THAT TO THEM. –— DR. PETER KOWER
Last semester Oglethorpe’s Dr. Peter Kower taught the only undergraduate course on microfinance being offered in the country, Special Topics in Economics: Seminar on Microfinance and Social Investing. Born of a unique collaboration between Atlanta-based Gray Matters Capital and Oglethorpe University, the course brought microfinance leaders to OU. “The personal narratives and different perspectives of outside speakers, academics and parishioners were inspirational to the students. There’s something magical about engaging with those who are passionate about something larger than themselves – the world’s two billion extremely poor. The format of the course also allowed students with diverse backgrounds to teach each other as they applied theory to solve a real problem,” said Kower.
The widows pictured throughout this article are from Mtsiliza Village in Malawi, Africa. BY
Jody Stephenson ’03
Through lectures and interactive seminars students gained insight into the causes and scope of poverty, examined the role of microfinance and explored underlying theories around economic development. The class culminated in a final service learning project where students interacted with individual microlenders and micro-enterprises and developed a proposal of how to invest $5 million in a microfinance institution or social enterprise. The winning team was awarded $2,000 by Robert Pattillo, founder of the Gray Ghost Fund and Gray Matters Capital, to invest toward that end. Kendra Billings, a rising junior, noted that “this class taught us how to use microfinance to alleviate poverty in an unusually hands-on way. It provided us with the tools to use our education not just to get a job somewhere down the line, but to make the world a better place.” CARILLON |
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