New Social Entrepreneurs-in-Residence and Coursework Meet Growing Demand from Students
Clark University’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E) program, an undergraduate minor of the College of Arts and Sciences that inspires students of all majors, has expanded its focus on social entrepreneurship. This focus on social entrepreneurship will enable Clark students to bring innovative solutions to a variety of chronic social problems, from the cycle of poverty in developing nations to environmental sustainability. The I&E program offers multiple courses on the topic of social entrepreneurship, led by entrepreneurs-in-residence who bring their real-world perspective into the classroom, as well as Clark faculty
Though organizations promoting social change have existed for decades, social entrepreneurship is now truly mainstream. “College students embrace the need for social change and want to actively pursue solutions. When our students get to the stage of the program where they launch their ventures, they don’t make the classic distinctions between for-profits and non-profits,” explains George Gendron, executive director of the I&E program at Clark University. “They create what we call hybrid models that incorporate both a social mission and a sophisticated understanding of the need for economic sustainability. This is what distinguishes social entrepreneurs from conventional business entrepreneurs and non-profit leaders.”
Clark University has a longstanding tradition of bringing outside experience into the classroom; in the I&E program, social entrepreneurs-in-residence help Clark students serve as academic advisors and mentors, encouraging Clark students to promote social change. 2007-2008 social entrepreneurs-in-residence include:
* David Jordan - President & CEO of Seven Hills Foundation, a Mass.-based non-profit network that promotes and encourages the empowerment of people with significant challenges through its continuum of services. Jordan has received numerous honors for his contribution to the advancement of non-profit organizations and improvements in healthcare policy.
* Katya Fels Smith - Founder and principal of the Full Frame Initiative, a network of urban social service programs. Prior to this, Smith founded On the Rise, Inc., a Mass-based organization that provides support to disenfranchised women. Smith has been named one of five “Moms Who Change the World” by Working Women and is profiled as an “Agent of Change” in the Government by the People textbook.
Mary Ellen Boyle, associate professor of management and an early advocate for social ventures, blends social values throughout all her courses. “Social entrepreneurs care about solving problems that continue to plague our society. When we accept that there are blurred boundaries between organizations, roles and responsibilities, we can be more creative about solutions. With this focus on social entrepreneurship in the I&E program, all Clark students can embrace the opportunity to make a difference.”
The Innovation & Entrepreneurship undergraduate minor grew out of Clark University’s rigorous liberal arts education and longstanding commitment to bringing outside experiences into the classroom. A cross-curriculum program launched in 2005, the I&E minor provides the tools and training necessary to prepare undergraduate liberal arts, science and management students to be agents of change. I&E graduates have a broadened awareness of their opportunities and the differences they can make in their own lives and in the community at large.
More information on Clark students’ social entrepreneurship initiatives is available by contacting lburgess@clarku.edu.
About Clark University
Clark University is a private, co-educational liberal-arts research university with 2,000 undergraduate and 800 graduate students. Since its founding in 1887 as the first all-graduate school in the United States, Clark has challenged convention with innovation programs, such as the International Studies Stream and the accelerated BA/MA programs with the fifth year tuition free for eligible students. The University is featured in Loren Pope’s book, “Colleges that Change Lives.”