The Knee Family Foundation made a $1 million commitment over the next four years to the newly renamed, The Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation. The Knees made the generous commitment in support of the center’s mission to provide information to citizens, policy makers, and other researchers about the extent, scope, and effects of occupational regulation.

Kevin and Joan (Morris) Knee of Indian Wells, CA are 1982 graduates of Saint Francis – Kevin with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Joan with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology.

Kevin is a shareholder and serves on the Board of Directors of Guthy-Renker—one of the world’s largest and most respected direct marketing companies. He first joined the company in 1994 and, throughout his tenure, has been responsible for finance as well as domestic and international operations. In addition, Kevin has been a major investor and advisor in several entrepreneurial ventures including Cypress Creek Renewables (commercial solar farms), Paramount Equity Mortgage, Rosewood Homes (home builder) and Native Foods (fast casual restaurant chain) to name a few.

Mr. Knee expressed enthusiasm for the Center’s potential. “When we heard Saint Francis University was putting together a center to provide information to citizens, policy makers, and other researchers about the extent, scope, and effects of occupational regulation, we were proud to contribute. Joan and I are extremely grateful for the education and experiences we received at Saint Francis and are excited to see the University take on projects that are a concern to us.”

Established in 2016, The Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation (CSOR) is an academic research center within the Shields School of Business at Saint Francis University. Located on the 3rd floor of the newly renovated Schwab Hall, the center offers students who are interested in economics and public policy a substantial scholarship opportunity. Student fellows conduct, analyze, and present research that contributes to a national database of occupational regulation. Students also have potential opportunities to travel and share their findings at national conferences.

Since its inception, CSOR has launched a national all-encompassing database that will document and track the occupational licensing regulations of thousands of professions across the fifty-states and the District of Columbia. The database is free and openly accessible to the public at csorsfu.com. Thus far, the database has gathered regulatory information that impacts various medical professionals including physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, massage therapists, physical therapists, among many others.

“I appreciate the generous gift from the Knee Family Foundation.” Dr. Edward Timmons, Director of CSOR stated. “With this generous support, CSOR will continue to be a leader in generating data on the scope of occupational regulation and serving as a valuable resource to the public.”

In addition to the creation of a national database, the center also organizes educational panels at national research conferences across the nation and prepares additional research reports for members of the academic community, policy makers, and citizens. Most recently, CSOR sponsored and participated in the Workshop on Occupational Regulation at Collegio Carlo Alberto in Turin, Italy, hosted a colloquium focused on criminal justice reform, and CSOR Director, Dr. Edward Timmons, spoke at an FTC roundtable discussion regarding the effects of occupational licensing.