US Southeast

APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY

 

 

Center for Entrepreneurship

 

 

 

 

Overview

 

 

Appalachian StateUniversity’s Center for Entrepreneurship builds on a long tradition of courses and activities.  The number of programs related to entrepreneurship continues to expand across campus.  More than 275 students enroll in elective entrepreneurship courses each year and currently more than 1,000 alumni from Appalachian State’s Walker College of Business are active entrepreneurs. 

 

 

Located in Boone, North Carolina, Appalachian State has more than 16,000 students.  More than 15,000 freshman applications were received for the 2008 academic year with 2,775 freshmen admitted.  The average SAT score for incoming freshman is 1163 and the average GPA was 3.88.  Appalachian StateUniversity jumped two places to the No. 10 spot in 2007 in the “Best Universities-Master’s in the South” category in U.S. News & World Report’s 2008 America’s Best Colleges Guide. The university retained its fifth-place ranking among the South’s top public master-degree granting universities. 

 

 

The Walker College of Business is accredited by AACSB International and offers ten undergraduate majors and five graduate programs:  MBA, MS in Accounting, and graduate certificate programs in Finance, Human Resource Management, and Information Systems.  The college has more than 100 full-time faculty, approximately 2,250 students, and modern facilities.  The Walker College of Business also has a strong international focus with formal programs that have included student travel to China, Japan, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Italy, Austria, India and Australia.  

 

 

Curriculum

 

 

ASU offers a Major in Management with a Concentration in Entrepreneurship and a Minor in Entrepreneurship for non-business majors, which provides the skills necessary for graduates to think creatively, to successfully launch their own businesses, or to support an employer in launching and growing an entrepreneurial venture.  The flexible curriculum is designed to allow students to pursue their specific interests.  Entrepreneurship course offerings include:

 

 

US 1150 – The Power of E – A First Year Seminar course designed for freshman from all academic fields who dream of starting their own business or non-profit organization.  To help students make the transition from high school to college, the course will provide experiences and teach skills that will help students pursue entrepreneurial ideas in whichever major they choose.

 

 

MGT 3160 - Understanding Entrepreneurship - This introductory course surveys the opportunities and challenges associated with the creation and management of entrepreneurial organizations.   The course focuses on the unique issues associated with starting and managing a new venture including business planning, human resource management, marketing, legal issues, location selection, funding, buying a business and exit strategies.

 

 

MGT 3170 - Fostering and Managing Creativity - Fostering and managing creativity can affect all aspects of a business, from strategy to maintenance to interacting with customers, suppliers and competitors.   The purpose of this course is for students to learn how to develop and manage creativity in organizations.    Students study the nature and significance of creativity, develop a more creative mindset, and learn about the principles, practices and tools to foster and use creativity. 

 

 

MGT 3190 - International Entrepreneurship – Appalachian students travel abroad and work on business plan projects with students in other countries.  Sections of this course have been delivered and/or are planned with partner universities in Spain, Germany, Belgium, Austria and India.

 

 

MGT 4680 - Entrepreneurship Practicum - Working in partnership with the North Carolina Small Business and Technology Development Center, students work in small teams on semester long projects with regional businesses.  As a field-based experience, the course allows students to define and solve real business problems with real clients. 

 

 

MGT 4650 - New Venture Creation – This capstone course focuses on the development of original business plans for new ventures.  Topics addressed will include idea generation, feasibility analysis, marketing research, management team development, cash flow forecasting, growth management and entrepreneurial finance.  Working in teams, students will develop complete business plans and make presentations to an outside group of professional experts at the end of the semester. 

 

 

Other Programs

 

 

The Carole Moore McLeod Entrepreneur Summit – More than 40 business owners participate in this annual event through a variety of panel discussions, presentations and networking activities with students.

 

 

Pitch Your Idea in 90 Seconds Contest - Students compete for a $1,000 top prize in an elevator pitch style competition.

 

 

The Association of Student Entrepreneurs - This student run organization brings more than a dozen entrepreneur guest speakers to campus each year and sponsors numerous entrepreneurship activities.

 

 

The Young Entrepreneurs Symposium - Recent ASU graduates who have founded successful businesses come back to campus to tell their stories.

 

 

Extreme Entrepreneur Tour – Some of the country’s top young entrepreneurs come to campus to spread the entrepreneurial mindset.

 

 

The Consortium for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises and Entrepreneurship Education -  Appalachian State partners with Clemson University, the University of North Florida, Universitè Catholique de Louvain (Belgium), Universidad de Alicante (Spain) and  Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg (Germany) to develop and deliver a variety of student and faculty exchange programs related to entrepreneurship.

 

 

The Martha Guy Summer Institute for Future Business Leaders - Two dozen rising high school seniors spend three weeks each summer learning about business and entrepreneurship, developing business plans and visiting businesses in North Carolina, New York City and Washington, DC.

 

 

Start Your Own Business Workshops – Faculty members deliver a series of community workshops with follow up mentoring and support provided by the university and local successful entrepreneurs.

 

 

Dale Tweedy Mentoring Program for Entrepreneur Scholars – Top entrepreneurially-oriented students are matched with experienced business owners in a year long program.

 

 

Appalachian Entrepreneurs Community – First semester freshman participate in an entrepreneurship residential living/learning community.

 

Personnel

 

 

The Center for Entrepreneurship is staffed by Director Bryan Toney and Assistant Director Julia Rowland and supported by entrepreneurship faculty members Dr. Mark Pruett, Dr. Ben Powell, and Mr. Ged Moody.   A 19 member external advisory board includes entrepreneurs from throughout the Southeast.

 

 

For More Information

 

 

Bryan Toney, Director, Center for Entrepreneurship, Appalachian StateUniversity, Boone, NC28608. Phone: (828)262-6196.  Email: toneybc@appstate.edu.   Website:  www.entrepreneurship.appstate.edu.