Purpose of the Center:

The activities of the Center include, but are not limited to, conferences on topics of current interest, workshops for corporate directors and executives, research, publication, and other activities appropriate to the furtherance of scholarship in the corporate governance field.

The focus of the Center for its first two years is the following: 

• To host periodic roundtable discussions on selected corporate governance issues to be attended by members of the national business, legal and academic communities, with the participation and assistance of members of the Delaware judiciary and bar, the University of Delaware business school faculty, and the Delaware corporate community. 

• To maintain a national speakers bureau of experts qualified and willing to speak to business and academic groups on corporate governance issues. 

• To develop and host an orientation program for directors of publicly-held, closely-held and non-profit corporations with specific focus on their legal rights and responsibilities. 

• To initiate a resource clearinghouse for academic, legal and business research projects bearing on corporate governance issues, and to encourage and support research on corporate governance issues of interest to the national business and legal communities. 

• To educate current undergraduate and graduate students about the current issues of corporate governance. 

The State of Delaware, The University, The Center: A Perfect Match

Locating the Center in the State of Delaware is a natural. Delaware is the legal home for the majority of the nation's largest public corporations and the modern Delaware Corporate Code is one of the primary reasons for incorporating in Delaware. In the application of the Code, Delaware's universally respected Court of Chancery, the only pure court of equity in the nation, and the Delaware Supreme Court have for many years been models in fostering incremental and beneficial changes in the corporate governance area. The members of these courts have expressed their interest in participating from time to time with the Center's programs to aid in the understanding of corporate governance issues. 

In addition, the Center has a key asset, the unique nature of the Delaware community itself. Many of the nationally known experts on corporate law and corporate governance are members of the Delaware Bar. In addition, many important businesses and business leaders are located in Delaware. Added to that are the many business leaders throughout the country who have a close association with the College of Business and Economics at the University of Delaware. The Center takes advantage of the close personal relationships and access to these leaders in crafting teaching and learning opportunities.