Entrepreneurship in Action

Student-run ventures, actual businesses that students enroll in as a course and run themselves, are changing the ways in which students learn by offering valuable hands-on experience. Many universities around the US have some form of student-run venture operating on campus, but how learning is reinforced and integrated into the classroom varies widely, as does the meaningfulness of the overall student experience. Most universities operate these ventures as one-offs, disconnected from formal academic instruction and as a side project that never gets full faculty or student attention.

This book examines six exemplar student-run ventures in depth. These ventures span disciplines from all across campus (arts, humanities, technology) and have known track-records of success, not only from a revenue perspective, but also in terms of pedagogy and learning. Readers learn the inner workings of all six student-run venture courses first-hand from the faculty teaching the course and from students who have taken the course.

For instructors looking to start a student-run venture on their campus this book is a must-have roadmap that is sure to help them sidestep obstacles and to accelerate success. The insights contained here show you how you can enhance student engagement and learning by incorporating elements of 21st century entrepreneurship education into the classroom.

Contents:

Foreword ix

PART I CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVES ON
STUDENT-RUN VENTURES
1 Entrepreneurship in action: the power of the student-run venture 2
Mark Tonelli
2 Student-run ventures and interdisciplinary entrepreneurship
education 7
Eric Liguori and Lee Zane
3 Creating a culture for student-run ventures 12
Julienne Shields
4 Role clarity in SRVs: students, faculty, and administrators 25
Julienne Shields, Eric Liguori, and Mark Tonelli
5 Student-run venture outcomes 35
Julienne Shields and Mark Tonelli
6 The Millikin University SRV model: frequently asked questions 42
Julienne Shields and Mark Tonelli
7 Reacting to crisis: how student-run ventures pivoted
following the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic 53
Mark Tonelli

PART II STUDENT-RUN VENTURE CASE SUMMARIES
8 Pipe Dreams Studio Theatre 63
Sara Theis
9 Art Circus 77
Dave Burdick
10 Blue Satellite Press 88
Stephen Frech
11 MU Performance Consulting 104
RJ Podeschi
12 Blue Connection Art Gallery 116
Kate Flemming
13 Arts Café 133
Mark Tonelli

Index