Higher Education Enterprise Conference Unites
WUN Universities in Leeds England
Press release Jan 16, 2008 - Dr. David Pilsbury
A hundred scholars and industry representatives gathered to identify and explore issues surrounding the development of ‘global entrepreneurs.’ at The Worldwide Universities Network International Entrepreneurship Conference held at the University of Leeds from 10th-11th December 2007.
A diverse array of presentations and parallel sessions highlighted the need to foster entrepreneurship and equip individuals and organisations with the skills necessary to work effectively across geographical, political and economic boundaries in an international dialogue that uniquely followed on from, and was integrated with, the preceding meeting in October 2007 at the first WUN Chicago Entrepreneurship conference. The third in this innovative international series will take place at Zhejiang University, Hangzou in May 2008.
In his key note address to the Leeds event, Prof Richard Williams emphasised that with their wealth of expertise and intellectual property, universities are ideally placed to make a real difference, ‘Leading higher education institutions have the ability to provide innovative solutions to matters of global importance.’
The energy and enthusiasm generated by the Chicago event had clearly set the stage for Leeds and Prof Williams felt that the coming together of WUN delegates ‘confirmed that there is a real need to develop policy to accelerate global entrepreneurship skills in universities.’ as a coherent international activity that draws on our complementary skills and exploits our combined capacity and capability.
These thoughts were echoed by Dr Anthony Warren, Director of the Farrell Centre for Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Penn State University who called for enterprise education to no longer be the preserve of business schools but to be taught to every student, regardless of their discipline, if developed nations are to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.
Dr Warren believes that the popular concept of an entrepreneur as someone who runs their own company is an outdated one, ‘Entrepreneurship is a new way of thinking. The human race is facing new challenges and we need to encourage a different sort of thinker from a purely linear-thought graduate with a single skill. Our educational systems should provide every student with a learning environment to develop the personal attributes of an entrepreneur.’
From the Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership in Illinois, Dr Tony Mendes and Kimberly Sugden commented that the conference provided a vigorous forum for discussion on the impact of enterprise in higher education. ‘We thoroughly enjoyed hearing about the dynamic initiatives the White Rose CETL Enterprise has been implementing to enrich the educational experiences of students in the UK, and are looking forward to sharing further examples of best practices and successful initiatives with our WUN friends and colleagues. In fact, hearing moving entrepreneurial stories, like those of keynote speaker Victor Watson, is what makes mentoring new entrepreneurs and enterprises so rewarding'.
A presentation by Professor Paul Hannon of the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE) confirmed that students’ appetites for programmes in enterprise and innovation are growing all the time, ‘Today’s students don’t expect to have a career for life and are astute enough to know that they need much broader business skills that make them more attractive to potential employers.’
Whilst this brings its own challenges, not least the fragility of funding and the need for strong leadership from the top, the mood of the conference was upbeat. Delegate Nancy Clement from the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship, Illinois, praised the efficient organisation and the usefulness of the various sessions, ‘I received a lot of information from a global perspective and it was good to share experiences and learn from each other. Making connections with other countries to create partnerships is so important.’
Many delegates are already looking forward to visiting China in May 2008, for the third and final conference in the WUN Entrepreneurship series and as Prof Williams confirms, ‘The outcome of the three workshops and advice from entrepreneurial leaders in the US, UK and China will result in a key document with strategic funding future recommendations for consideration by national funding bodies.’
WUN Universities in Leeds England
Press release Jan 16, 2008 - Dr. David Pilsbury
A hundred scholars and industry representatives gathered to identify and explore issues surrounding the development of ‘global entrepreneurs.’ at The Worldwide Universities Network International Entrepreneurship Conference held at the University of Leeds from 10th-11th December 2007.
A diverse array of presentations and parallel sessions highlighted the need to foster entrepreneurship and equip individuals and organisations with the skills necessary to work effectively across geographical, political and economic boundaries in an international dialogue that uniquely followed on from, and was integrated with, the preceding meeting in October 2007 at the first WUN Chicago Entrepreneurship conference. The third in this innovative international series will take place at Zhejiang University, Hangzou in May 2008.
In his key note address to the Leeds event, Prof Richard Williams emphasised that with their wealth of expertise and intellectual property, universities are ideally placed to make a real difference, ‘Leading higher education institutions have the ability to provide innovative solutions to matters of global importance.’
The energy and enthusiasm generated by the Chicago event had clearly set the stage for Leeds and Prof Williams felt that the coming together of WUN delegates ‘confirmed that there is a real need to develop policy to accelerate global entrepreneurship skills in universities.’ as a coherent international activity that draws on our complementary skills and exploits our combined capacity and capability.
These thoughts were echoed by Dr Anthony Warren, Director of the Farrell Centre for Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Penn State University who called for enterprise education to no longer be the preserve of business schools but to be taught to every student, regardless of their discipline, if developed nations are to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.
Dr Warren believes that the popular concept of an entrepreneur as someone who runs their own company is an outdated one, ‘Entrepreneurship is a new way of thinking. The human race is facing new challenges and we need to encourage a different sort of thinker from a purely linear-thought graduate with a single skill. Our educational systems should provide every student with a learning environment to develop the personal attributes of an entrepreneur.’
From the Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership in Illinois, Dr Tony Mendes and Kimberly Sugden commented that the conference provided a vigorous forum for discussion on the impact of enterprise in higher education. ‘We thoroughly enjoyed hearing about the dynamic initiatives the White Rose CETL Enterprise has been implementing to enrich the educational experiences of students in the UK, and are looking forward to sharing further examples of best practices and successful initiatives with our WUN friends and colleagues. In fact, hearing moving entrepreneurial stories, like those of keynote speaker Victor Watson, is what makes mentoring new entrepreneurs and enterprises so rewarding'.
A presentation by Professor Paul Hannon of the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE) confirmed that students’ appetites for programmes in enterprise and innovation are growing all the time, ‘Today’s students don’t expect to have a career for life and are astute enough to know that they need much broader business skills that make them more attractive to potential employers.’
Whilst this brings its own challenges, not least the fragility of funding and the need for strong leadership from the top, the mood of the conference was upbeat. Delegate Nancy Clement from the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship, Illinois, praised the efficient organisation and the usefulness of the various sessions, ‘I received a lot of information from a global perspective and it was good to share experiences and learn from each other. Making connections with other countries to create partnerships is so important.’
Many delegates are already looking forward to visiting China in May 2008, for the third and final conference in the WUN Entrepreneurship series and as Prof Williams confirms, ‘The outcome of the three workshops and advice from entrepreneurial leaders in the US, UK and China will result in a key document with strategic funding future recommendations for consideration by national funding bodies.’
