Entrepreneurship and economic development

Economic development is the fourth dimension of the university’s mission.  The college has established, and intends to enhance its entrepreneurship initiative to stimulate instruction, research, and collaborative activities and thereby advance economic development.

Mike Hutchison, a senior, says his urge to innovate and lead is a part of his personality – he says he’s always just been that way. At age 16, he started a power-washing business in his hometown of St. Charles that has doubled in size every year.

Hutchison is a member of inaugural class of students in the Flegel-Source Interlink Academy for Aspiring Entrepreneurs in the MU College of Business. Pilot-tested in spring 2006 and launched this fall, the academy prepares students to embark on entrepreneurial ventures armed with both skills and confidence. The academy is underwritten by a gift from Leslie Flegel (BA ’59) and his wife, Elynor.

Jake Halliday, adjunct assistant professor of management and CEO of the Missouri Innovation Center, teaches an MBA course in entrepreneurship in which students divide into teams and develop business plans to launch high-growth companies. One of the teams in Halliday’s course last spring made it to the “Final Four” of the first Big 12 New Venture Championship in Dallas.

MBA student John Pelikan, who was on the PictureCloud team, says the college’s commitment to entrepreneurship sets it apart. “It has given me a tremendous amount of practical knowledge and shown me a completely different area of the business world than most business schools present,” he says.

The college believes entrepreneurship and new-enterprise creation drive economic development. Its objectives in this area range from expanding course offerings and providing related professional development activities to offering vital assistance in commercializing the university’s scientific discoveries.

Last Edited: 3/10/2008