US West

 

 

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Marshall School of Business

The Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies

 

Program Overview

The Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies formally began in 1971.  The Program was an outgrowth of several courses in the mid 60s dealing with entrepreneurship.  The 1971 Entrepreneurial Trac MBA curriculum was created around an integrative curriculum requiring four capstone courses.  The Greif Center is the oldest integrative entrepreneur offering.

 

The Center has been a top 5 Graduate and Undergraduate School for most of its existence and has been ranked number 1 on multiple occasions by both Entrepreneur Magazine and Success Magazine.  The Center’s Director, Tom O’Malia, has been listed among the top entrepreneurship faculty in the country by Fortune Magazine.

 

The Greif Center emphasizes team teaching; networking students with alumni and entrepreneurs; and undertakes collaborative efforts with other schools on the USC Campus.  Concentrations in entrepreneurship are offered at both the graduate and undergraduate degree levels.  80% of the MBA Students take at least one entrepreneur course.  Entrepreneurship is the capstone experience in the Executive MBA Program and in the Masters of Medical Management Program.

 

The Center supports a resident High School Summer Experience in Entrepreneurship and offers an Executive Education Series for the general public and offers custom programs for individual companies.  The Southern California NFTE Program (National Federation for Teaching Entrepreneurship) is also supported by the Greif Center

 

 

How do you measure an Entrepreneur Program?  We measure our success, one start up at a time.

The Program believes strongly that the accomplishments of our alumni are the most meaningful measurement of success.  Over the past 3 decades, countless start ups have emerged from the program.  Most visible Alumni include Chris DeWolfe and Josh Berman of My Space, Marc Benioff, Salesforce.com, Torin Pavia, Arbitech,(ranked fastest growing company by Entrepreneur and Inc. Magazine.) and Anthony Gisler ‘ LA Boxing (fastest growing Franchisor in 2007 by Entrepreneur Magazine.)

 

 

Organization

Situated within the Marshall School of Business, the Greif Center is a Program. It has seven full-time faculty, six part-time faculty and two full-time staff members. The faculty positions do not carry tenure.  There are two endowed chairs – The Paul Orfalea \ Kinko’s Chair held by the Tom O’Malia, Center Director and the Henry W. Simonsen Chair in Strategic Entrepreneurship held by the Center’s Research Director Nandini Rajagopalan.

 

Full-time faculty include: Steve Mednick, Coordinator of the Graduate Program; Dr. Kathleen R. Allen, Director of the Greif Center Technology Commercialization Alliance; Patrick Henry, Coordinator of the Undergraduate Program and Helena Yli-Renko,  Director of the Entrepreneur Survey Study Series and Project Research Outreach – sharing resources with other entrepreneur programs.  Other full time faculty include Gene Miller, Dr. William H. Crookston and Mark Lieberman.

 

In addition there is an Advisory Council of 30 members comprised of graduates of the Greif Center, members of the infrastructure (e.g., accountants, investors, attorneys), and entrepreneurs at large.

 

 

Courses Offered to Undergraduate Students

Undergraduate students may major in Entrepreneurship by completing the Concentration in Entrepreneurship.  The Concentration is a 16-unit program consisting of four, four-unit courses over their Junior and Senior Years.

 

Approximately 150 students (out of 600 graduating underclassmen) elect to do their concentration in Entrepreneurship each year.  Undergraduate courses offered in the catalog include: 

BAEP 451: Introduction to New Ventures            BAEP 454: The Business Plan

BAEP 452: Feasibility Analysis                          BAEP 453: Starting and Growing the New Venture

BAEP 301: Technical Entrepreneurship               BAEP 423: Business for Non Business Students 

 

In addition, students from outside the Business School can receive a Business Minor by taking five prerequisite courses and BAEP 451 as the Business Minor capstone course.  A dual major in entrepreneurship and in a related business field is available to students taking BAEP 451 and BAEP 452 along with an appropriate course from their second major.

 

Courses Offered to Graduate Business Students

All students in the Marshall School of Business MBA-PM and EMBA programs take an Introductory Entrepreneur Course (Entrepreneurship – GSBA 586) as part of their MBA (500 students annually).  MBAs may receive an Emphasis in Entrepreneurship by taking three required courses plus one of two electives.  60 students complete the Emphasis in Entrepreneurship, and 200 students take at least one additional entrepreneur course. 

 

The Greif Center and the School of Engineering jointly offer a Certificate in Technology Commercialization, which is achieved by taking three required courses:

BAEP 556: Technology Feasibility     BAEP 557: Technology Commercialization   ISE 545: Invention  and Creativity (offered in the School of Engineering) plus one elective in either business or engineering.  

 

Graduate courses offered in the catalog include:

BAEP 551: Introduction to New Ventures                        BAEP 552: Feasibility Analysis

BAEP 553: Emerging Company Management                 BAEP 554: Business Plan

BAEP 555: Rapidly Growing Venture Management          BAEP 556 Technology Feasibility                                     BAEP 557  Technology Commercialization               BAEP 556  Buying a Business

BAEP 559: Investing in New Ventures                            

 

 

Research

Current research questions address: opportunity recognition, new venture creation activities, feasibility analysis, high growth ventures, technology, and entrepreneurship education and training.  Collaborative research funded by the Greif Research Symposium explores factors affecting new firm emergence.  This research uses data from the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics. 

 

 

Outreach

The Greif Center includes the following outreach activities:

–      An annual “Entrepreneur of the Year Day” involving an outstanding entrepreneur in a student forum, a faculty forum, and an award banquet. Videos of the day are sent to 850 schools and inner city programs.

–       An annual “Alumni Networking Day” promotes exchange of information through workshops and forums on alumni entrepreneurial successes and failures. 

–      An annual “End of the Year Award Banquet”. 

–      The Greif Center is a partner on a National Science Foundation grant that was awarded to USC to develop a national technology transfer and commercialization network.  Dr. Kathleen Allen is the principal investigator.

–      The Center supports the Undergraduate eClub – 400 active members and the largest UG Club at USC

–      The Center supports the EVMA (Entre Venture Mgt. Assoc) – largest graduate club at USC

–      USC Business Plan Competition $ 50,000.   ($25K best non technology plan, $25K best technology based plan).

–      The Greif Research Impact Award - $5K award for most impactful research paper over the past five years.

 

 

Sharing Resources

Since the late 70s, the Greif Center has shared its resources.  Interested schools can request and received among other things the following:

 

Copies of Entrepreneur of the Year Videos for your classrooms include Dave Power, JD Power and Associates, Howard Schultz, Starbucks; Tom Barrack, Colony Capital; Paul Orfalea, Kinko’s; George Rathman, Amgen.

 

Greif Seminar Series:  Leading scholars presenting their latest research to an interdisciplinary audience,.

All have been captured on video and are available for use for your faculty sessions. 

 

Greif Entrepreneur Interview \ Entrepreneur Survey Series

In one exercise you bring the real world into your classroom and concurrently build a profile of entrepreneurship in your region.

 

For More Information

Tom O’Malia, Director

Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies

Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California

Bridge Hall One, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0801

Phone: (213) 740-0641, Fax: (213) 740-2976, E-Mail: entrepreneur@marshall.use.edu

Web Site: http://www.marshall.usc.edu/entrepreneur