US Northeast

Entrepreneurship at Temple University

The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute (IEI) is the epicenter of entrepreneurship at Temple University, serving all 17 of its schools and colleges.  Our mission is to encourage, nurture and support innovation and entrepreneurship throughout the Temple community, including students, alumni, faculty and staff.  This is accomplished through a comprehensive program of academics, applied programs, internships, student entrepreneurship clubs, mentoring, consulting and the University’s annual business plan competition, the Be Your Own Boss Bowl.  Temple was recently ranked 6^th for its undergraduate program and 11^th for its graduate program in Entrepreneurship – the fifth time the University was selected a top program by Entrepreneur magazine and the Princeton Review.

Academic Programs

Under the guidance and direction of the General and Strategic Management department of the Fox School of Business, undergraduate business students may major or minor in Entrepreneurship.  In addition to a comprehensive, rigorous core curriculum of business administration courses, students electing the major take courses in Cost Accounting, Entrepreneurial Finance, Software Applications to Business Problems, Global Strategic Management, Managing New and Small Enterprises, Internship in Entrepreneurship, Advanced Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial Marketing, Business Society and Ethics, and an advanced course in economics.  Minors take the core business curriculum plus Introduction to Entrepreneurship, Advanced Entrepreneurship and either Managing New and Small Enterprises or Internship in Entrepreneurship.  Over 200 students were enrolled in these programs in the 2007 – 2008 academic year. 

On the graduate level, University administration has approved a concentration in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Design for the MBA program which is expected to launch in Spring 2009.  At the graduate level, over 18 courses are offered including Management of Innovation and Technology, Entrepreneurial Thinking, Social Entrepreneurship and Financing New Growth Ventures.

For non-business students, an undergraduate certificate program in entrepreneurship is available in many schools and colleges within Temple, including the Tyler School of Art, The College of Engineering, School of Communications and Theater, College of Science and Technology, School of Social Administration, and the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management.  To date, three graduate certificate programs are in place.

Entrepreneurship Clubs

Temple has two clubs for students interested in entrepreneurship:  for undergraduates, the Entrepreneurial Student Association (ESA) and for graduate students, the Graduate Student Entrepreneurship Club (GSEC). 

The ESA serves as a hub of activity for entrepreneurial-minded students from across Temple.  Students learn from prominent regional and national entrepreneurs, serve as mentors and coaches for early-stage companies; generate ideas for new businesses; and engage in community outreach programs.  Temple’s ESA is also playing a critical role in the newly redesigned business plan competition, the Be Your Own Boss Bowl, a flagship program of the Fox School of Business.  ESA students are an integral part of planning, managing, marketing and executing the competition to make it and enriching and affirming experience for student entrepreneurs across all schools within Temple. 

The Graduate Student Entrepreneurship Club brings together all of the University community – graduate and professional students, alumni, faculty and staff – interested in entrepreneurship, and promotes and facilitates the study and practice of entrepreneurship; connects students with experienced alumni and local entrepreneurs; encourages interest in innovation and enterprise creation; and develops aspiring entrepreneurs into motivated, ethical and dynamic business leaders. During the year, GSEC holds lecture series by successful entrepreneurs, and presents workshops and social events focusing on entrepreneurship.  It also encourages its members to participate in the University-wide Be Your Own Boss Bowl.

Mentoring and Executive in Residence Programs

The IEI Mentor program connects senior business leaders and successful entrepreneurs from the Philadelphia region with a wealth of experience and expertise in a multitude of disciplines with students, alumni, faculty and staff for one-on-one consultations on entrepreneurial ventures.  Currently, our list of mentors exceeds over 100 executives.

The Executives in Residence program features notable entrepreneurs, investors and senior business leaders who commit to specific office hours each month during the academic year, teach workshops, present to the entrepreneurship clubs and serve as judges for major competitions, including the business plan competition.  In the 2007 – 2008 academic year, our executives in residence included a CEO of a database cluster software company, the CEO of a brand marketing agency, the founder and executive director of a regional angel fund, and the VP of a national wholesale distributor of interior building supplies.

Internship Program

Entrepreneurship majors participate in carefully supervised internships with high growth and emerging firms in the Philadelphia regional area.  The purpose of the internships is for aspiring entrepreneurs to gain insight and experience into the challenges and opportunities of managing and growing an entrepreneurial firm.  Temple strives to place students with companies where they can “wear many hats” and gain experience in diverse roles such as marketing, sales, operations, finance and human resources and team building.  In many cases our students are working alongside and closely with the CEO and senior management of the firm.  Both the faculty supervisor and the entrepreneur assume mentor roles for the students in the program.

Non-Curriculum Activities

Temple offers a diverse and comprehensive slate of non-curriculum activities for aspiring entrepreneurs within the University community.  Throughout the year, the IEI produces a number of conferences, competitions and other events designed to foster innovation and encourage individuals to launch businesses.  In the 2007 – 2008 academic year 29 such events were held including the annual Women’s Entrepreneurship Conference (a regional event), Innovative Idea Competition, Boot Camp for Sports Entrepreneurs, Social Entrepreneurship Conference and BioTech Conference.  Nine business planning workshops are held each semester and are free and open to all within Temple University, including alumni.  For the first time, Temple held a Career Fair for Entrepreneurship Majors and Minors in February 2008, recognizing that Entrepreneurship majors and minors seek a different work experience than typical business school graduates, preferring generalist as opposed to specialist roles with emerging and high-growth firms as opposed to established and mature companies.

Distinguishing Programs

As a nationally recognized leader in Entrepreneurship, Temple is continually developing ground breaking and new programs in the discipline.  Three such programs include:

• Mid-Atlantic Diamond Ventures (MADV) – Owned and managed by the Fox School of Business, MADV is the region’s only year ‘round science and technology venture forum program and has helped early-stage companies secure over $130 million in angel funding in the last six years.  MADV offers intensive coaching and consulting, and a substantial network of mentors and investors to assist its clients with innovative scientific ideas or commercially viable technologies to grow their firms into successful, sustainable businesses.
• Temple University Council on Entrepreneurship (TUCE) – This council encourages applied entrepreneurship throughout all 17 Temple colleges and schools and is comprised of representatives from each Dean’s office and several University departments.  Its mission is to support cross campus programming in entrepreneurship, both academic and applied, with the ultimate goal of enterprise creation across the entire Temple community.
• Temple University League for Entrepreneurial Women -  A collaborative effort between the Fox School of Business, School of Communications and Theater and the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, the League presents an annual conference on relevant topics for entrepreneurial women, presents Hall of Fame awards, and sponsors a student essay contest on entrepreneurship as well as several networking events.

Executive Management

The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute is housed and financially supported by the Fox School of Business under leadership of Dean M. Moshe Porat and Vice Dean Rajan Chandran. 

For more information, please contact Jaine Lucas, Executive Director, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute and Mid-Atlantic Diamond Ventures; 215.204.4605 and jaine.lucas@temple.edu