The Technician

In an effort to understand more on how Kettering is changing and improving their educational tactics for the benefit of both students and faculty, Kelly Okapal interviewed Professor Bill Riffe who is helping support these programs. This inside look focuses on the entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial programs offered.

 

 

Professor Riffe – Currently there are six programs at the University: BUSN 372, Kettering Entrepreneurship Society, the Innovation and Commercialization Challenge, the Kern Foundation “Entrepreneurship Across the Curriculum”, the MI-SBTDC organization, and Kettering’s TechWorks business accelerator.

 

Details on the various programs are as follows:

 

1) BUSN 572, now BUSN 372 – Innovations and New Ventures, is the lead off class for Kettering’s entrepreneurship minor sponsored by a 2006 Kern family grant.

 

2) Kettering’s Entrepreneurship Society (KES) with advisor M. Tavakoli, is also sponsored by a 2007 Kern family grant. They meet on the 5^th floor of the CC on Wednesdays at 8pm in the KES room.

 

3) Innovation and Commercialization Challenge competitions. In the Winter and the Spring is the innovation challenge, and in Summer and Fall is the commercialization challenge. Ninety second video ideas from Kettering students are submitted for peer review over YouTube, with monetary prizes given for the winners of each.

 

4) A Fall 2008 grant of $250,000 from the Kern Family foundation was given to Kettering to spread entrepreneurship across the curriculum. The intention is to create a cultural change in the University and in the mindset of the students and faculty. To begin, KU will offer a workshop series for faculty from 2-9^th week this Spring Term. The series will discuss “philosophy of discovery rather than delivery of preconceived knowledge”. At conclusion, faculty will have created a syllabus for a module on entrepreneurship which will be taught and accessed. It is the intention that most, if not all, faculty members will participate in the workshops as they will be repeated many times. In order to support these future workshops Kettering will be going back to the foundation for additional support.

 

 

Curtis Carlson, the keynote speaker for the start of the faculty workshops, is also the recipient of an honorary degree from Kettering in 2008. The workshops will have additional speakers throughout the series. He also spoke on Wednesday, April 15^th 2009 to the student body about the importance of including innovation in education, and Kettering’s opportunity to include it in its curriculum.

 

5) The Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC) Region 6 is directed by Marsha Lyttle and found on site at Kettering University. According to Lyttle as quoted in Pat Mrocezek’s Kettering article in 2007, “Our mission is to enhance Michigan's economic well being by providing counseling, training, research and advocacy for new and existing small businesses and innovative technology companies," Lyttle said. "We have already started getting acquainted with the local business community."

 

6) TechWorks, the “business accelerator”, run by Neil Sheridan is “our set of services and facilities dedicated to helping technology based entrepreneurs grow their companies while they perfect the application of the underlying technology” according to Neil, and is available to interested entrepreneurs.

 

 

R – In our current economic recession, where big business is having extreme difficulties and losing jobs; when it picks up again it will not hire everyone back. To generate employment opportunities for them and new workers, it is entrepreneur enterprises that will offer opportunities for economic growth and employment. This is true for Michigan and the entire nation.

R – I think that what excites an individual is rising to the challenge. It needs to be interesting and have a payoff. Whether it happens in or outside an organization we want our students to be prepared to recognize opportunities and participate in them, and help create an economic stimulus for them.

 

 

R – KU is also part of EnGen, which is the Entrepreneur Generation. This organization is a consortium of the following mid-Michigan schools: Michigan State University, Central Michigan University, Saginaw Valley South, University of Michigan Flint, and Kettering University.

 

It is their purpose to bring entrepreneurship to the mid section of Michigan through these academic institutions. This group is looking at a two pronged approach. The first of these is curriculum based, looking at how we can teach principals and culture of entrepreneurship.

 

The second prong is experience based where we provide incubator opportunities, internships, and even cooperative positions for our students to experience the excitement of entrepreneurship.