Do you remember when you were a child and it seemed like every item you needed and wanted was on a shelf out of your reach, and everything you wanted to see and do was happening on a surface above your view? I remember being in the kitchen with my mother while she was baking, and I either wanted to watch or participate, even if it was to increase my odds at licking the beaters (like there was ever any doubt that was going to happen!). Every time, I’d hear her say, “Let’s get you a chair!” She’d pull one over to the cabinet and steady it as I climbed up. Success! Even now as a fiercely independent adult, I am constantly using chairs and stools, always carefully, to reach items at the top of the closet or on shelves in the garage, each time putting me in a better position so I can accomplish what I’m setting out to do.
We are all accountable for educating those around us, particularly the next generation, and that often necessitates providing the means to facilitate the process. Sometimes that is money; sometimes it is change in policy; but every time it is our responsibility to work together to be the steady chair that allows those around us to see what we are doing and to learn. Because we have changed the vantage point and elevation, they can quickly learn what we know, use that as a starting point, and then envision new ideas that lead to the creation and innovation of products, companies, programs, methods, and procedures that continue to advance society.
As a state with an entrepreneurial, innovative spirit, the “chair” of Arkansas is comprised of four legs: 1) businesses, 2) state organizations, 3) individuals and the private sector, and 4) colleges and universities. Without any one of these legs working with the others in equal part, there is not a steady platform upon which to build and grow. Arkansas is fortunate to have all entities working together, as will be elaborated upon from the university perspective in following articles throughout the year. As I travel the state, I talk with individuals from each group, and the excitement and enthusiasm for statewide success and advancement is outstanding.
The University of Arkansas’ Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation is committed to promoting “entrepreneurial activities and fostering innovation across the university and around the state in order to build Arkansas’s knowledge-based economy,” as indicated by the university’s website. By working with Arkansas companies, organizations and universities, and by offering programs for faculty and students on our campus and throughout the state, we are dedicated to collaboration, research, idea generation, commercialization, business creation and expansion, education and statewide economic development. We offer our undergraduate and graduate students a variety of opportunities for participation and education, including classes like New Venture Development and Emerging Technologies in Industry, as well as programs like the Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship and the IGNITE program, which fosters relationships between Arkansas companies and the university for the purpose of industry-driven research and innovation.
The opportunities offered to students through the Office of Entrepreneurship are more than classroom projects and experiences; they are preparation for life. Over the last decade, students participating in the entrepreneurship programs have achieved state, national and international success in business plan competitions, which has facilitated the creation of 12 start-up companies in the state. This past year, the IGNITE program joined the Office of Entrepreneurship in an effort to better integrate all U of A colleges and departments, particularly serving as a pipeline for STEM students into the research commercialization and entrepreneurship processes. As we look to the future, we foresee progression of the Office of Entrepreneurship in 2015 to include continued success in business creation and expansion, increased STEM efforts, and the inception of a social entrepreneurship program. We look forward to meeting and continuing to work with companies, state organizations, political leaders and individuals and groups who are committed to bolstering innovation, statewide economic development and the entrepreneurial ecosystem that is growing throughout Arkansas.
The Office of Entrepreneurship is excited to be an integral part of the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and the continued conversations about education and economic development. I am eager to share the university perspective on entrepreneurship and innovation. I look forward to describing our programs in more detail and keeping you apprised of the activities, opportunities, challenges, and successes on our campus and around the state.
Let’s pull up a chair.
