Enterprise That Endures

Retired CFE Director Steve Gohmann Built Opportunity Through Exploration

What do socialism-flavored beer, the cost of homelessness and markets amid drugs, drones and disasters have in common? Together, they reflect the broad scope of conversations hosted by the Center for Free Enterprise at the University of Louisville College of Business, where guest speakers have challenged students to examine the free market from perspectives as varied as the topics themselves.

At the heart of those conversations was former CFE Director and Truist Professor of Free Enterprise Stephan “Steve” Gohmann. While he recently retired from the college, his legacy lives on in the center’s work, the discussions he helped create and the students he encouraged to think differently about the world around them. Throughout his decades of teaching, mentoring and leading the CFE since its launch in 2015, Gohmann was passionate about helping others understand the value of economic freedom of choice – and how free markets can make room for enterprise, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation.

ROOTS IN RESEARCH

Born and raised in New Albany, Indiana, Gohmann’s path into economics began at Indiana University, where he earned a double major in mathematics and economics. While he had the opportunity to enter the workforce after graduation, he saw a different path forward. “When I graduated from Indiana University...I had a few job offers, but I wanted to further my education,” he said. “I decided to pursue my PhD in economics because I saw more opportunities for success and greater research opportunities.”

After earning his doctorate from North Carolina State University, Gohmann joined Ball State University in 1984 as an assistant professor of economics. The position placed him in a department where research was part of the culture. “I was fortunate to have my first job at Ball State University,” he said. “The economics department had three other young faculty who were research oriented and understood the benefits of the market.”

In 1987, Gohmann accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University. His early research interests focused on the Social Security system and Medicaid payments for nursing homes, and his time at Duke helped him continue developing that work through a new professional connection. “My dissertation advisor, Bob Clark, helped me connect with former Secretary of Commerce Juanita Kreps,” he said. “I did some research for her and continued my research stream.”

CENTER OF THE CONVERSATION

In 1988, Gohmann’s academic career brought him back home when he accepted a position at UofL. “I was fortunate to get the UofL offer,” he said. “It is quite difficult to get an academic job [near] your hometown.”

While at UofL, Gohmann’s work in free enterprise expanded through the Association of Private Enterprise Education (APEE), where he connected with other like-minded economists. Through that network, he met representatives from the Charles Koch Foundation, a connection that later led to John Schnatter, founder of Papa John’s. Schnatter, along with the Koch Foundation, pledged more than $5 million to launch the CFE in 2015. “I truly appreciate John’s generosity,” Gohmann said. “He often came to my classes, spoke at several student events and even hosted student groups at his headquarters, where he led them on personal tours.”

For Gohmann, the idea for the CFE grew out of what he was already seeing in the classroom and through student reading groups. Students in his Capitalism and Economic Freedom course were encountering ideas they had not often heard discussed elsewhere, making the center an opportunity to expand those conversations beyond a single class.

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Best known for its prestigious Menard Family Lecture Series, the CFE is focused on bringing an understanding of the importance of the free market to the UofL community and beyond. Among the most impactful speakers Gohmann remembers were North Korean defector Yeonmi Park and business magnate Steve Forbes. “We moved both of their talks to Strickler Hall...to accommodate more students and community members,” he said. “Each event was standing room only, with students lining the walls and sitting in the aisles.”

For Gohmann, however, some of the center’s most meaningful moments came through its student reading groups, where conversations continued beyond assigned texts and classroom walls. “We would read at least three books and spend an evening discussing each book and then going out for dinner,” he said. Those dinners gave students the rare opportunity to meet guest speakers in a small-group setting, with many of the speakers also serving as authors of books the students had read. The chance to connect directly with authors, business leaders and scholars became one of the center’s most distinctive experiences.

CFE Marketing and Events Manager Donna Clark said that kind of access reflected the broader purpose of the center and the legacy Gohmann built through it. “Through the center, he made programming available to students that wasn’t available anywhere else on campus,” Clark said. “The center embodies his belief that education should challenge our perspectives and encourage thoughtful dialogue.”

LEARNING THAT LASTS

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While Gohmann expressed gratitude for his 38 years at UofL and the friends and colleagues he met along the way, including Clark, who he said “added greatly to the success of the CFE,” his reflections returned most often to the students he taught. “I hope as they move through life, they will consider the ideas from class and reading groups and figure out who they want to be,” he said. “Although what they got from me may be only a grain of sand on the beach, I hope that it is one that shines for them.”

Clark saw that focus on students throughout her years working alongside him, particularly in the way he encouraged learning beyond grades or requirements. “He truly cared about them learning, not for a grade, but for the sake of curiosity and growth,” Clark said. “He helped students develop critical thinking skills that would serve them long past their time in the classroom.”

As he steps into retirement, Gohmann plans to spend more time with his wife, Myra, while continuing many of the rhythms that shaped his academic life. Along with cooking, gardening and riding his bike, he has no plans to let his reading group experience end with the CFE, sharing that he has “already started a reading group with some of my friends.”

With a wide range of topics and an even wider range of conversations, Gohmann built a community around the fundamental ideas of free enterprise. Through reading groups, panel discussions and guest speakers, he reinforced the importance of the freedom to create and innovate while giving students a platform to ask questions, challenge assumptions and share their opinions. Together, those efforts reflect what lies at the heart of the CFE – the freedom to turn ideas into action and action into change.

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