The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents hosted a board meeting Friday, Feb. 7, to call attention to entrepreneurship in the University of Wisconsin’s education strategy, according to UW News.
Special Advisor to the Chancellor for Entrepreneurship Jon Eckhardt presented a new vision for how UW can enhance students, faculty and alumni in launching businesses. Board of Regents President Amy Bogost emphasized the role of student support in a slowing economy.
“Right now in particular, when we have a very much shrinking workforce, we have to give each other support,” Bogost said.
Eckhardt is leading the initiative, which is based on the findings and recommendations of a study commissioned by Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin last year, according to the Universities of Wisconsin.
The university’s new entrepreneurship plan involves building leadership and structure, fostering a culture that supports entrepreneurship, increasing access to capital and focusing on founders.
“Chancellor Mnookin has tapped into various areas in the business school and created the opportunity to support entrepreneurship in ways we haven’t seen before,” Bogost said.
Panel CEOs like Wes Schroll of Fetch Rewards, Jessica Martin Eckerly of Forward BIOLABS and Kieran Furlong of Realta Fusion praised UW’s entrepreneurship initiative.
Schroll highlighted the university’s support in launching his business, Eckerly stressed the value of exposing students to business concepts and Furlong credited UW and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation for his company’s success, according to UW News.
“How do we support that 18-year-old who has this crazy idea to start this business?” Bogost said. “It’s through the business school and businesses that have the power to take that and develop it into something that benefits the region and the economy.”
The university will expand on its 60 entrepreneurship programs and courses while continuing to offer services like Innovate Network, Discovery to Product and the Technology Entrepreneurship Office to support future business development.