J. Mack Robinson College of Business’s new entrepreneurship program aims to turn student ideas into companies.
The program, announced by President Becker during Georgia State’s State of Address ceremony last October, could go into effect as early as next year.
According to Becker, the new university-wide track will help students translate their ideas into functioning, profitable companies.
“Over time, some of those ideas will take root and blossom into innovative companies that will shape our economy and employ thousands of workers,” Becker said.
While specifics are missing, the goal of the program is to expand opportunities for entrepreneurship education for all students–regardless of major or concentration, Dr. Robert Gemmel, director of the Herman J. Russel Center, said.
“I really believe in the idea that a lot of great entrepreneurial ideas come from all areas of study,” he added.
While the college’s new entrepreneurial track remains under construction, the J. Mack Robinson College of Business will offer a number of events open to students of all majors, including the Business Plan Competition, scheduled for Nov. 19
No projections for admission requirements or program participation currently exist, but Gemmel said that some concrete information should be available by the end of the academic year.
Gemmel continued by saying that he expects the process of implementation to begin either in the summer or fall of the next academic year.
Georgia State’s history is deeply rooted in business education, beginning in 1913 as a branch of Georgia Tech known as the Evening School of Commerce. Eventually the school gained independence and, decades later, was renamed to its present title.
The addition of the new entrepreneurship program closely follows the J. Mack Robinson College of Business’s strategic plan for improvement, which aims to improve upon the college’s reputation for quality business education, attain prestige in addressing problems for 21st century businesses and further immerse itself in the business community of all regional levels.
The J. Mack Robinson College of Business was named number one in Georgia for its part-time MBA program by Bloomberg Businessweek named and number eight in the nation for public schools. The addition of the new entrepreneurship program will add to the college’s other distinctions, like J. Mack’s placement in U.S. News & World Report’s fourth best undergraduate risk management and insurance program.
Becker’s reveal of Georgia State’s new entrepreneurship track was accompanied by several other significant announcements during the State of the University address, including the demolition of Kell Hall, introduction of a new Biomedical Institute and the beginning of new cooperative education programs for the computer science and computer information systems degree programs.
