Rob Whiting 2009-10 Traveling Fellow

Rob Whiting will be seeking to better understand poverty, how it differs across nations, and what approaches, especially sustainable market-based solutions, are being applied to combat the poverty problem through his project, titled "At the Crossroads of Business and Philanthropy".  Despite efforts by non-profit organizations and aid from multilateral institutions such as the World Bank, half the world still survives on less than $2 per day. Multi-lateral organizations are often too slow moving and uncreative, while non-profit organizations are dependent on outside resources for survival.

Social business or a for-profit approach may be a superior alternative to these traditional methods. The Vanderbilt Keegan Fellowship will give Rob the opportunity to investigate and compare a variety of these types of organizations with more well-known avenues. To better understand the disadvantaged, Rob will endeavor to arrange homestays, do hands-on service work with the disadvantaged, and engage himself in other situations that would give him direct interaction at the community level. His concern is to understand how people live in a variety of communities and what are the primary factors contributing to their current situation. Simultaneously, he will engage local and international organizations through site visits, volunteering, interviews, and informal observation and communication. He hopes that by the end of his travels, he will have a deeper understanding of poverty from a global perspective and insight into poverty alleviation tools and strategies, especially market-based approaches. Following the fellowship, Rob plans to join an organization that is oriented toward alleviating poverty in one of the areas he has visited. Realizing that he cannot solve poverty alone, he hopes to recruit others to join the campaign to help create a world where everyone can thrive with health, education, and dignity.

For more information about the Michael B. Keegan Traveling Fellowship at Vanderbilt University, please go to  http://www.vanderbilt.edu/travelfellowship/ or contact Associate Dean of Students Sandy Stahl at 615-322-6400.

The fellowship is administered and supervised by Sandy Stahl, Associate Dean of Students. Dr. Stahl can be contacted at 615-322-6400 or sandy.stahl@vanderbilt.edu for further information.