Presentation:

As part of a nationwide competition sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kaufmann Foundation, the University of Rochester developed a proposal to extend the study and teaching of entrepreneurship beyond the business school to the entire university. The proposal included the development of new courses, the creation of an undergraduate major and “cluster” in entrepreneurship, the creation of a tuition-free fifth year devoted to entrepreneurship, and a new entrepreneurship program in continuing studies for middle and high school students. 

A key component of the program was the development of a foundational course that could anchor additional courses and generate a university-wide discourse on entrepreneurship. The course was based on a definition of entrepreneurship as “the transformation of an idea into an enterprise that generates value.” The definition emphasizes three fundamental components of entrepreneurship: an idea, an enterprise (a self-sustainable product, movement, institution, etc.,) and value (economic, social, cultural, artistic, political) to both the enterprise-maker and others. The definition further understands entrepreneurship as a process of change and transformation: from idea to enterprise and from enterprise to value. This definition, which was the center of the University’s Kauffman Foundation grant proposal, thus conceives entrepreneurship as a distinctive form of human agency and an irreducible form of freedom that can operate in any realm of human endeavor, including, but not limited to, business. So, for example, three key figures in Rochester’s history—George Eastman (founder of Kodak), Susan B. Anthony (founder of women’s suffrage), and Frederick Douglass (founder of the nation’s leading abolitionist newspaper) all exhibit the characteristics of an entrepreneur. By focusing on enterprise-creation, the definition distinguishes between entrepreneurship and innovation (although entrepreneurs are invariably inventive) and between entrepreneurship and management (although entrepreneurs are often effective managers). 

On the basis of this definition, the foundational course explores how ideas and practices from a broad range of human activity—from economics to law to politics to culture to religion—must collaborate to make the creation of new enterprises routine in American society. The course reviews major economic theories of entrepreneurship to show the diverse values they represent. It examines how American property law and bankruptcy law create legal structures conducive to enterprise-creation. It studies and interrogates the notions of the “self” that necessarily lie behind American ideas of property and ownership. It studies the relationships among legal, political, and economic structures that make enterprise-creation easy or difficult. And it probes the interconnections among religion, human rights, and economic policies. The course concludes with presentations of students’ own projects. Because the course demonstrates the interdependence of discrete fields of learning and activity in shaping concrete human behavior, it fulfills the ideals of broad and interconnected learning that mark a liberal education.

The existence of a common definition and a foundational course that used it allowed a steering committee of deans from across the University to solicit course proposals and research proposals from across the university. The deans further agreed that students could cross-register for courses in entrepreneurship without the problem of tuition transfer. They received proposals from a variety of departments including, English, Music, Nursing, Religion, and Computer Science. In addition, a protocol for the Kauffman Entrepreneurial Year (KEY) program was developed. The KEY program gives students a tuition-free fifth year to focus on the study and/or practice of entrepreneurship. Five KEY scholars were accepted in the first year. A Young Entrepreneurs’ Academy for middle and high school students was developed in the division of part-time studies. The purpose of the University’s entrepreneurship program was not to produce entrepreneurs but to help students become educated citizens who understand the nature of entrepreneurship and the conditions that both foster and hinder it.

 

Discussion:

Audience participants pointed out that there might also be some resistance from the business school who see the topic as their domain. Again, framing is important. Courses like the one described help to develop fresh connections between liberal arts and business schools, which helps to broaden the appeal to students. Another concern was how best to engage cross-section of students. The recommendation here was to open courses to all students and modify the course according to enrollment. It is important to be sure that all readings and lectures are very accessible. Students are inherently interested in entrepreneurship, and their interest can help expand the offerings. There are good techniques and strategies to be learned from other model programs as well. For example, the University of North Carolina has a broad range of liberal arts entrepreneurial courses and also offers a minor in entrepreneurship for students from any major.

Overall the integration of entrepreneurship into the liberal arts allows for new opportunities and experiences. Faculty from both the liberal arts and business schools get the opportunity to rethink an “old” concept and students have the opportunity to develop new perspectives in thinking about the topics and people they study and in some cases are able to test their own entrepreneurial mettle.

 

Recommendations:

Individual institution recommendations:

·        Both students and faculty are interested and eager to integrate entrepreneurship into the liberal arts curriculum. However, it is important to be strategic and frame the value of this integration properly to gain buy-in and support from across the university.

·        Pilot test courses to test the environment on your campus. Use ideas from other model programs to design your courses and programs.

·        Make courses available to all students. This means using readings and assignments that are accessible to a wide cross-section of students.

 

References:

Websites from other programs and initiatives:

Ewing Marion Kaufmann Foundation - http://www.kauffman.org/

Kaufmann Campuses Initiative - http://www.kauffman.org/items.cfm?itemID=475

University of North Carolina – Carolina Entrepreneurial Initiative

 

Appendix: Sample Syllabus