For those students who have always dreamed of owning their own business, Howard University has implemented a program to help you become at least one step closer to accomplishing that. Starting this fall Howard is offering an Entrepreneurship Minor.
The minor program is directed by the Entrepreneurship, Leadership, and Innovation Institute, or ELI. Though the ELI Institute is located in the School of Business, the minor is available to everyone on the campus.
"Our goal is to infuse entrepreneurship into all disciplines on campus," said Henry Edwards, Director of the ELI Institute. "Entrepreneurship is not a path but a culture it crosses all walks of life not just business."
Edwards hopes that with this program faculty and students will have the ability to access opportunity and transfer it into wealth and value.
Students taking up this minor are required to have 15 hrs of entrepreneurship courses, including one prerequisite, and one elective. Required courses include: Introduction to Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial Marketing, Entrepreneurial Finance, Accounting and Control Systems, and New Venture Development.
Dr. Theola Douglas, Social Director of the Academic Program for ELI, feels that even though the courses are not necessary to gain the knowledge of becoming an entrepreneur, all the information that one could need is provided to those choosing this minor.
"You can learn through the school of hard knocks but if you minor in entrepreneurship you can gain all the knowledge quicker, faster, and more conveniently," said Douglas. Not many students are aware of this new program but those that know about it believe it to be greatly beneficial.
"I was thinking about choosing the entrepreneurship minor, it's a great stepping stone," said Emily Stanford, junior advertising major.
Christopher Hill a sophomore marketing major agrees with Stanford.
"I would minor in entrepreneurship it is a skill that African Americans and the Howard community should take seriously."
Hill said that while he did not know about the minor he was required to take an entrepreneurship boot camp last year as a requirement for his business orientation class.
Akua Pipim, a senior international business major, was aware of the program but says that she is not interested in the minor. Pipim does feel that many students will take advantage of the program.
"There are a lot of students here that want to own their own business, and it would be helpful for creating small businesses in the black community."
The Entrepreneurship Minor is just one area of focus for Howard's ELI Institute. The three other focuses are research, business and community development, and an entrepreneurial thought center.
These focuses are all part of Howard's proposal for entrepreneurial development. The program is funded by a $3.1million grant awarded to Howard over a five year period by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The Foundation is the largest funder of entrepreneurship endeavors in the country. Howard is one of eight schools and the only HBCU in the country to receive the grant.
