Starting this fall, students at the University of Iowa’s Tippee College of Business will be able to major in entrepreneurship.
David Hensley, executive director of the John Papajohn Center for Entrepreneurship and professor of entrepreneurship, led an interdisciplinary faculty panel to develop the new major’s curriculum and determine which elements of business should be included in courses. I have decided.
Hensley said students have a unique opportunity to hone several important business skills through one curriculum.
“We decided the time was right to offer business students advanced studies in entrepreneurship and innovation, with special emphasis on areas such as technology innovation, entrepreneurial finance, and entrepreneurial leadership,” Hensley said. said.
Ms. Tippy currently offers several classes in entrepreneurship and the John Papajohn Center for Entrepreneurship, but Mr. Hensley said this major will allow students to further focus on the subject.
“We have been a leader in entrepreneurship education across campus and have made entrepreneurship education accessible to students from all walks of life,” he said. “I think this new major just recognized that we needed to offer students a more advanced, focused, and impactful degree.”
Kim Harris, UI Associate Professor of Practice, also joined the committee and highlighted all the different skills students can acquire during their major.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with cultivating an entrepreneurial spirit,” Harris says. “Whether you want to start your own business, lead a business, or be effective within an organization, you can’t go wrong with this kind of education.”
Lynn Allendorf, director and instructor of the John Papajohn Center for Entrepreneurship, said the new major will also help promote the business school and is likely to attract new students’ attention.
“I think this will be a great recruiting tool for the University of Iowa,” she said. “We always come across high school students who want to focus really deeply on entrepreneurship, so this will be a great experience for them. This will put us on par with our Big Ten peers.” We were able to establish a position.”
Hensley said many college students are now pursuing service-based businesses or businesses on social media while in school, so it makes sense to provide them with better resources to start a business. He said there was.
“More students are taking on side hustles. As the economy evolves, we want to prepare our students to take on side hustles and turn them into scalable business opportunities,” he said. . “Interest in entrepreneurship is at an all-time high. It empowers people to pursue their dreams.”
Harris said the future of business will see many changes as the baby boomer workforce ages.
“There’s going to be a very large shift in wealth and business,” she said. “There are a lot of companies looking for new leaders and new owners, and I think this is a great opportunity.”
