We were thrilled to host the 2025 Milton Derber Lecture at LER, where we welcomed Professor Rosemary Batt. This lecture series honors Professor Emeritus Milton Derber, one of the founding architects of the then-Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations. Professor Derber’s leadership, intellectual vision, and contributions helped establish our School as a nationally respected center for labor scholarship and education.
Professor Rosemary Batt at this year’s Milton Derber Lecture
Professor Rosemary Batt, the Alice Hanson Cook Professor of Women and Work at Cornell University’s ILR School, shared her groundbreaking research on the impacts of financialization in healthcare. Her talk focused on how financial ownership models, such as private equity, franchising, outsourcing, and subcontracting, are transforming the way we think about work and employment in healthcare and other essential sectors.
Following the lecture, was a panel, moderated by Professor Johnnie Kallas, and joined by LER’s own Professor Andrew Weaver, alumnus Steven Merkin, AM 83, and Jarrett Clem, Business Manager of IBEW Local #601.
The 2025 Derber Lecture was a great reminder of how our work at LER continues to build on the essential foundations laid by Professor Derber, and we’re grateful to everyone who joined us to celebrate his legacy and engage in these critical discussions.