Dr. Gangaram Singh, Dean of the College of Business and Economics at Cal Poly and a distinguished scholar, recently visited Northwest University (NWU)’s School of Economics and Management Sciences (FEMS) to share his valuable insights on engaging the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The significance of Dr. Singh’s visit is that he has been successful in establishing an entrepreneurship ecosystem at his institution, making him an ideal mentor for NWU.
During the visit, Dr Singh discussed key aspects of the entrepreneurial ecosystem including funding sources, multidisciplinary collaborations and supporting ventures beyond the ideation stage. Dr Singh’s diverse background in adult education, online learning and cricket management brought a valuable perspective.
Dr Singh emphasised the importance of tailoring the entrepreneurial ecosystem to NWU’s unique culture and environment, rather than introducing external models that may not be a fit.
Professor Herman van der Merwe, Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning at FEMS, said that as NWU looks to launch its own entrepreneurial ecosystem, Dr Singh’s visit provided stakeholders with a valuable opportunity to learn from his experience and adapt his model to the university’s unique context.
“Dr Sings’ focus on fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration and supporting ventures beyond the ideation stage is in line with NWU’s goal of engaging students from diverse backgrounds and providing comprehensive support for entrepreneurial ventures,” says Professor van der Merwe.
“What particularly stood out to me about his presentation was his insight into a hands-on training program called STEP, which focuses on entrepreneurial skills in a format that is accessible to non-business majors. The implementation of such a hands-on training program is in line with NWU’s commitment to providing students with practical entrepreneurial skills and knowledge.”
He further added that by focusing on these key aspects of Dr Singh’s presentation, NWU will be able to effectively incorporate Dr Singh’s valuable insights and experience into their approach, providing them with a roadmap for establishing a vibrant and contextualised entrepreneurship ecosystem at NWU.
Dr. Gangaram Singh, Dean of the College of Business and Economics at California State University and a distinguished scholar, recently shared valuable insights on engaging the entrepreneurial ecosystem.