July 15, 2008

Expert: Multidisciplinary approach best to foster entrepreneurship

Kenneth Kahn, the Avrum and Joyce Gray Director of the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship, says successful collegiate entrepreneurship is based on finding ways to connect students and faculty across the entire university.

"Entrepreneurship is very much a multidisciplinary phenomenon," says Kahn, who also is a professor in the College of Technology. "If you really want to make an impact, you have to reach all students and faculty. Anyone — from those in engineering to science to liberal arts to business — can be an entrepreneur. The key is to create opportunities for students in every discipline to put their ideas together."

He says that the traditional view often sees entrepreneurship as solely a business school initiative. Yet, universitywide venues and programs supported by university administration can better connect students with different knowledge sets and bring about remarkable results.

"Universities are realizing the value that pan-campus entrepreneurship programs and centers of entrepreneurship offer," Kahn says. "These include the opportunities to share ideas and access resources to grow their new venture ideas. Connecting with students from multiple disciplines results in a more robust experience for students, and because of the multiple perspectives possible, helps students to develop a more robust business venture idea."

Kahn says Purdue, through the Burton D. Morgan Center, has various avenues to bring students and faculty in all disciplines together. Examples include the Entrepreneurial Leadership Academy for faculty members who meet monthly to develop an entrepreneurial community; an undergraduate certificate program in entrepreneurship and innovation; a technology realization program for graduate students; and an annual business plan competition.

On Aug. 19, Purdue and the Kauffman Foundation will co-host an Entrepreneurship Best Practices Workshop on the topic of Achieving Multidisciplinary Entrepreneurship. This best-practices workshop to be held in Indianapolis will examine the idea of university-based centers for entrepreneurship and identify the best strategies to establish these centers.  Organized by Purdue's Burton D. Morgan Center, the workshop is for universities that are part of the Kauffman Campuses Initiative – an initiative focused on fostering cross-campus entrepreneurship programs. 

The Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship serves as Purdue's interdisciplinary hub for entrepreneurship. Through its initiatives, the center aims to stimulate entrepreneurship in the Purdue community and serve as a resource for the citizens of Indiana and beyond. Located in Purdue's Discovery Park, the center plays a key role in facilitating business development for emerging concepts and technologies stemming from Discovery Park research.

Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu

Source: Kenneth Kahn, (765) 494-6400, kbkahn@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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