The Center for Entrepreneurship at Eastern Michigan University was established in 2000 to provide curriculum, research and economic development support for entrepreneurs, faculty, and students. The Center strives to create, encourage and sustain the entrepreneurial spirit through its various activities. A managing director and two faculty program directors manage the Center with the advice of a Community Partnerships Committee and a soon to be created External Advisory board. The Centers activities fall into four areas:
Economic Development top
The Center’s economic development initiatives start with the Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) which is partially supported by federal funding from the US Small Business Administration. The Center operates five offices with local partners in SBTDC Region 9 which covers Metro Detroit (including Wayne, Oakland and Monroe Counties.) For businesses with less than 100 employees, these offices provide a variety of free services including business plan development, marketing research and training. In 2006 the SBTDC provided services to more than 800 clients that started over 20 businesses and provided training for more than 1,200 people. SBTDC clients raised more than $10 million in equity and debt capital. More than half of the clients were minority entrepreneurs and almost half were women.
Through the SBTDC, the Center also maintains other partnerships. The U.S. Department of Commerce which houses their U.S. Export Assistance Center in the EMU College of Business. Washtenaw Community College’s SBTDC houses its Biz Resource Center (BRC) in the Center which is in close proximity to their office in the Ypsilanti Chamber of Commerce. The BRC provides online databases and a library of business plans among many resources available. Finally, the College is a member of the Ann Arbor – Ypsilanti SmartZone, which fosters technology business development and is a founding member of the Ann Arbor-based SPARK economic development organization. The Dean of the College of Business serves on the Board of SPARK and is the co-chair of the Business Attraction Committee.
The Small Business Institute® top
The Small Business Institute is a membership based assemblage of business schools that are committed to engaging qualified university students, under expert faculty supervision, to provide consulting to small business owners and managers as part of their educational training at the university. Frequently working in teams, students work on real world projects for a variety of small businesses, non-profits and entrepreneurs. A database is being created to track the number of students involved each year and the business clients and the type of projects. Students majoring in Entrepreneurship are required to complete a practicum working with a company. The Center tracks more than 75 projects completed by students each year.
Collegiate Entrepreneurship Organization (CEO) top
The College of Business sponsors a student organization that has a chapter in the National CEO organization. Students meet regularly during the year and participate in programs for professional and personal development, community service projects and run their own business. Students from all programs at EMU as well as local community colleges are welcome to become a member and participate in the CEO chapter activities. In addition, the CEO maintains a leadership role in the execution of two major Center programs: the Annual Entrepreneurship Conference and the Business Plan competition.
Regional Entrepreneurship Conference - The CEO also organizes and sponsors an annual entrepreneurship conference for university undergraduate and graduate students, community college students and high school students. This day-long conference features sessions focusing on development of entrepreneurship skills and features successful entrepreneurs who deliver workshops.
Business Plan Competition – In conjunction with the CEO Conference the Center will hold an open business plan competition for student teams. Primary recruitment of teams is through faculty advisors in business programs across the state as well as through web site announcements. All student teams are required to have an approved advisor who will review the plan before submission.
Academic Programs and Research top
The College of Business provides the most comprehensive entrepreneurship curriculum in the state of Michigan. The College offers an undergraduate major and minor and a graduate certificate and specialization in the MBA program. Students pursuing the entrepreneurship major are required to complete a practicum working with an entrepreneur. The College was rated in the Top 10 in the category of entrepreneurship by “Entrepreneurship Magazine” in 2005.
To enhance the excellence of the academic program, the Center maintains an Entrepreneurship Continuous Improvement Team (ECIT) which meets regularly to review curriculum and advising activity in order to make recommendations that will ensure a vibrant and growing academic program.
