Bucknell University Freeman College of Management
BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY TO LAUNCH CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP & INNOVATION
Bucknell University is launching a new cross-college center of excellence, The Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, set to open in 2024. This center, funded by an anonymous founding leadership gift from a Bucknell family, aims to be more than a traditional entrepreneurship hub. It will focus on fostering creativity, innovation, and exploration, offering students from all three of Bucknell’s colleges a platform to transform their ideas into impactful real-world products and ventures.
“Our goal is to be a University that empowers future founders — be they artists, inventors, investors, social justice advocates, developers or leaders yet to be defined. The center will foster the creative learning environment that allows that to happen,” says Bucknell President John Bravman.
Bucknell is located south of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The new center will connect and enhance Bucknell’s existing entrepreneurial programs, BizPitch, the Bucknell Small Business Development Center and courses like Management 101. It is a collaborative vision developed by key faculty and staff members, including William Meek, the Campbell Rutledge Jr. and Eleanor Rutledge Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship; Professor Erin Jablonski, associate dean of engineering; Professor Emily Martin, the Ellen P. Williams Associate Professor in Music; Sabrina Shankar, assistant director of campus activities; and Steve Stumbris, director of Bucknell’s Small Business Development Center.
The center will offer strategic plans that include exposure to entrepreneurship, experiential learning activities, networking, mentorship, and guidance. Students and faculty from across the University, including the Freeman College of Management, will be encouraged to interact with and utilize the center’s resources.
“The grassroots efforts that have evolved over time are no longer enough for students who arrive at Bucknell with an entrepreneurial mindset,” says Meek. “These students are hungry for access to entrepreneurship-focused educational opportunities. They want space and resources to help them incubate their ideas and do market research, and then develop products, services or business concepts that could be viable in a given marketplace.”
The Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation aligns with The Plan for Bucknell 2025, aimed at fostering intellectual aspiration and academic excellence. With a long-term vision that includes the offering of venture funding, mentorship and business development coaching, the donors hope the center will spark the collective support of the entire Bucknell community as it moves from ideation to reality. Recruitment for an executive director will begin immediately.
Learn more and then check out our Under The Radar feature, At Bucknell’s Freeman College, A Fruitful Marriage Of Business & Liberal Arts.
INDIAN STUDENTS AND CANADIAN TEACHER TRIUMPH IN GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE COMPETITION
This weekend, the Burjeel Holdings-Oxford Saïd Climate Change Challenge crowned its winners at the COP28 ceremony in Dubai.
The winning student team, Acquifier Guardians, from Ryan International School in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi. They tackled water scarcity with an innovative drip irrigation solution using Bio-floc Arduino technology. Runners-up included the Entofarm Team from South Korea, Indonesia, and the USA, focusing on farming solutions to combat insect-borne diseases.
In the teacher category, Lucas Olscamp from Pearson School UWC in Vancouver Island, Canada, won with a lesson plan incorporating Indigenous beliefs.
The competition, which attracted over 600 applications from 43 countries, was a joint initiative by Saïd Business School and Burjeel Holdings, supported by organizations including Oxford University Press and the Eden Project.
The challenge required students aged 15-18 to propose solutions to one of five climate change-related issues: air pollution, extreme weather, diseases carried by insects, food security, and water scarcity. High school teachers were also invited to participate by developing lesson plans that raised climate change awareness and encouraged creative problem-solving. A panel of influential thought leaders and global entrepreneurs judged the entries.
Winners will participate in bespoke programmes at Oxford Saïd next year. This initiative provides access to a community of entrepreneurs and thought leaders in innovation and social impact.
“This has been a truly global effort; from the outreach to students and teachers in all parts of the world, to the diversity of the entries we received. The competition leaves me full of hope for the future; there is such energy and ingenuity among students and educators in addressing climate change and the quality ideas we have seen as part of this challenge are inspiring,” says Professor Soumitra Dutta, Dean of Oxford Saïd.
EMLYON AND COURS FLORENT INTRODUCE BACHELOR OF ARTS IN ACTING & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
French business school emlyon has collaborated with Cours Florent, a drama school in Paris, to launch a new Bachelor of Arts in Acting & Entrepreneurship. This unique program, conducted in English, is designed to merge artistic talent with entrepreneurial skills, providing students with comprehensive training in both theater arts and management.
The program will begin in September 2024. This bachelor’s degree stems from a belief that blending entrepreneurial knowledge with artistic ability can expand career possibilities for students in various sectors from acting and production to creating cultural structures.
Curriculum is focused on combining artistic skills, particularly acting in front of a camera, with entrepreneurial skills. It aims to provide students with a deep understanding of the entertainment industry’s economics, the ability to promote artistic projects, and the development of vital soft skills such as stress management and cross-cultural communication. The program also includes artistic projects, workshops, and interaction with industry professionals, alongside digital technology integration.
It is a three-year hybrid program.
“Hybridization is at the heart of the strategy of emlyon business school, and this program beautifully illustrates it. Associating top-tier expertise, which had never been merged before, shall be a major asset for students,” says Isabelle Huault, Executive President and Dean of emlyon business school.
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