A Message from Executive Director Klaas Baks

The Emory Center for Alternative Investments presents a bold new chapter in the study of alternative assets. Our goal is to grow the Center into a powerful force within our school, our community, and industry by providing independent education, research and analysis. In this message, the mission of the Center, its research goals, and the salutary impact it will have on our students.

Alternative investments are increasingly a part of mainstream finance; however they are poorly understood, both academically and in their public perception. Because the level of misinformation about this class of investments is widespread, the need for a Center devoted solely to the study of this field is apparent. Given the excellent strength of our business faculty and its reputation for rigor in both research and teaching, Emory provides a natural home for this Center.

The Center will leverage both Emory’s and Goizueta’s national and international reputation for excellence as it brings together academic researchers, fund managers, investors, and regulators—the parties most relevant to understanding the current and future shape of the field. Assembling these interests in an academic environment, without submitting to bias or influence, is rare indeed, but it is precisely what the Center will do.

Crucial to the mission of the Center will be the ability to gather and analyze scarcely available data: data on deals and deal making, data on deal impacts, and data on deal returns. And while aggregating such data will prove challenging, it will be equally difficult to ensure such data is free from selection and survivorship biases, and that it is stored and accessed in ways that protect investors’ anonymity, while remaining accessible to researchers. Although there are obstacles standing before these efforts, the Center will rely on the determination of its leadership and the connections of the Emory community to accomplish this goal. Once this data is collected, it will position the Center to lead important discussions about the alternative investments industry.

In addition to the Center’s efforts with respect to industry data, it will also offer a tremendous resource for students at Goizueta on the doctoral, MBA, Executive MBA, and BBA levels (not to mention those students in Emory’s other professional schools). Classes are either already offered or are in development. Further, Goizueta is currently adding faculty to further the mission of the Center. This focus on research and education, combined with Emory’s expanding network in the field, will result in increased employment opportunities for all Emory students.

The mission of the Center at this dynamic moment presents a truly exciting opportunity in the public discourse on alternative investments. I welcome you to take part in this endeavor, as an active participant or an observer. This website will act as a powerful resource for those interested in the Center, its efforts, and the field of alternative investments.