Center for the Study of Free Enterprise
Dedicated to providing economics research and education to the students, faculty, and community of Western Carolina University.
Who We Are
Launched in 2017 as a part of Western Carolina University, the Center for Study of Free Enterprise (CSFE) supports our mission through scholarly inquiry and community engagement. We focus particularly on the areas of economic development, applied research, and free enterprise. We provide research support, student scholarship, teacher training and much more in an effort to promote interdisciplinary discussion and collaboration among faculty, students, and community members.
What We Do
We work to enrich lives in our region by supporting scholars, offering free educational activities for our community, and providing easy-to-access information on public policy and the role of free enterprise in a flourishing society. Explore our current projects, read more about specific issues affecting our region, and find out how to submit your own idea for funding.
For Students
CSFE offers scholarships, fellowships, post-baccalaureate opportunities, and educational lectures for students
For Faculty
Access information, tools, and classroom materials / lesson plans designed for educational professionals of all levels.
For the Community
CSFE offers grants to individuals hoping to advance economic understanding through peer-reviewed research and public promotion.
Register Now
Our second annual K12 teacher training workshop will be held on April 1, 2019 in Asheville, NC. This day-long professional development seminar is geared towards middle and high school social studies, and economics, and CTE teachers in North Carolina. The cost of the workshop is free and substitute teacher reimbursement is available.
For more information, and to register, please visit teachfinancenc.org
Thoughts from our Founding Director, Dr. Edward Lopez, and other invited contributors.
Guest Blog: Welcoming Jeff Percival
As President of Future Business Leaders of America - Phi Beta Lambda, I’m excited to both welcome Mr. Jeff Percival to WCU, and to partner with the Center for the Study of Free Enterprise. This semester, FBLA-PBL has devoted this semester to professional and...
Catching up with Austin Brown
We’ll occasionally use this blog to catch up with folks who have worked on past Center-supported projects. In this post, we catch up with Austin Brown. Austin graduated from WCU in 2016 with a degree in Special Studies, an option that lets WCU students set their own...
Is Democracy in Decline? Free Enterprise Speaker Series Welcomes Philosopher Loren Lomasky
In the next installment of WCU's Free Enterprise Speaker Series, philosopher Loren Lomasky, a self-described Churchillian democrat, will dissect how political mis-information and a polarized populace can adversely affect election outcomes, and what to do about it....
Top 5 Reasons to Attend the Fireside Chat with Ken Langone
Business icon, philanthropist, and Cashiers resident Ken Langone is coming to WCU for a fireside chat on Monday October 22 from 5:00-6:15 p.m. Here are five reasons to check it out. 1. A great story. Ken grew up poor in Long Island and rose to business success with a...
Building Success with Jeff Percival
On Februrary 6, 2019, The Center for the Study of Free Enterprise hosted Jeff Percival of Percival Enterprises for a workshop on success. The event was cohosted with Future Business Leaders of America – Phi Beta Lambda chapter at WCU.
Jeff Percival has spent the last 33 years building, molding and creating a business that is a living entity. He left teaching to start a training and development company, “Percival & Associates”. After 7 years, he developed the Percival Enterprises’ User/Consultant Group, with over 25 experts in their field, from around the country. This User/Consultant Group acts as a Resource to his clients and prospects.
As an Assessment & Development Company, Jeff has also created his “Success Track Tools” Division within PercEnt %. These are proprietary tools which were designed to keep you “On Track & In Focus”. He uses these tools during training and speaking engagements.
Jeff is also an author. He has written 3 books: “8 Weeks to Successful Employment”, “Job Search Survival Kit”, “Your Combination for Success” and co-authored “Work Makes Me Sick! (Prescribe Something Quick!)” with Kathy Bornheimer. He just finished writing “Creating Artful Sales”.
WCU’s Free Enterprise Speaker Series is a forum for the campus and community to explore all points of view on important issues of the day, hear from renowned experts from a variety of fields and understand multiple perspectives.
Watch our livestream of the event below.
Podcast S2, E3: Jeff Percival and Lindsey Elias
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