Universities are recognizing the rise of entrepreneurship and the value of innovative thinking in any industry or business. The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business announced the marriage of two of its centers of excellence – the Center for Entrepreneurship and the Innovation Initiative – into the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
The Center will offer entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives for both faculty and students, while also engaging with corporate partners in the community.
A press release states, “The mission of the center is to provide world-class training in innovation and entrepreneurship through sponsored research for faculty; engagement with corporate partners; and the delivery of best-in-class, trans-disciplinary curricular and extracurricular learning experiences for undergraduate, graduate and executive-level students.”
The Center will be responsible for a university-wide undergraduate minor in entrepreneurship and innovation. The program will be about more than just classroom learning with students having access to an innovation lab for applied learning experiences and corporate engagement on real-world projects.
“Innovation and entrepreneurship are two of the most important aspects of today’s economy and, as such, they represent significant priorities for our college in the ways we prepare tomorrow’s business leaders, advance our thought leadership through research, and engage with the global business community,” said Anil K. Makhija, dean and John W. Berry, Sr. Chair in Business at Fisher. “Integrating the center and advancing both its capabilities and outreach will further position our college and university as leaders in these ever-evolving, increasingly vital areas of business learning.”
The center and its programs are designed to serve multiple colleges and departments across the university, not just traditional business majors. Programming will explore multiple disciplines, including the emerging trend of thinking like an entrepreneur within a larger company.
“The center will combine the theories, tools and practices of general, social and technology-based entrepreneurship as well as corporate intra-preneurship to help create innovation-based competencies for both individuals and organizations,” says Michael Bills, executive director of The Center.
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