DRAFT

 

Entrepreneurial Learning Community

Workgroup:  Incubation and Experiential Learning

 

 

Workgroup Participants:

Brent Case (MidMichigan Innovation Center) –

case@mmic.us – 989-839-2334 *Workgroup Chairman

 

Harry Leaver (SVSU) - hlleaver@svsu.edu - 989-964-4047

 

Peter Scott (Kettering) - pscott@kettering.edu - 810-762-9729

 

Ron Steiner (The Starting Block, MSU Extension) - steine33@msu.edu - 231-873-6841

 

Chuck Fitzpatrick (CMU) - fitzp1c@cmich.edu - 989-774-3270

 

David Castlegrant (Cleary University) - dcastlegrant@cleary.edu - 734.332.4477

 

Chris Krieger (Duperon Education) - ckrieger547@yahoo.com -

 

Massoud Tavakoli (Kettering) - mtavakol@kettering.edu - 810-762-7922

 

 

There are multiple goals of the Incubation and Experiential Learning work group:

 

1.      Understand the current internship/co-op processes in which college students engage businesses for academic credit.

 

2.      Define an “Entrepreneurial Internship” and what differentiates an Entrepreneurial internship from traditional internships/co-ops.

 

3.      Develop best practices for an “Entrepreneurial Internship Program” that can be used across Mid-Michigan for college students and/or others interested in gaining knowledge regarding entrepreneurship through experiential learning.

 

4.      Consider practices to assist student businesses and accelerate their growth and success.

 

5.      Seek funding to implement “Entrepreneurial Internship Program” throughout Mid-Michigan

 

 

Jan 14, 2008 Phone Conference (2:00 – 3:00pm)

 

 

All participants were dialed in for the phone conference except for Harry Leaver and David Castlegrant, both of which had prior commitments.

 

 

The conversation started with introductions and an understanding of why each participant was involved in the group.  Brent Case described the purpose of the group as he understood it and the conversation continued from there.  Below are notes from the conference call:

 

 

§         For this program, companies should be qualified as “Entrepreneurial Companies” - suggestions included:

 

o        Company must be less than 3-4 years old

 

o        Revenues under $2 million

 

o        Less than 20 employees

 

o        Company must be willing to provide student with meaningful experience (not just administrative)

 

o        Consider “Intra-preneurial” experiences with larger companies that have an entrepreneurial philosophy

 

§         In order to control experience, must be more touch points and/or involvement of intern coordinators compared to traditional internships

 

§         Consider providing students with mentors, either from within the organization they are doing the internship with, or an external mentor

 

§         Should outline the goals for internships including entrepreneurial skills, experiences, and a diverse set of meaningful activities

 

§         Consider offering Duperon Education training to students during the internship or as a pre-requisite for an entrepreneurial internship

 

§         Consider connecting student businesses or gifted students with Duperon Education’s E-Fund, a group of investors looking to connect talented and/or aspiring entrepreneurs with promising business opportunities seeking leadership

 

§         Would be nice to be able to offer companies some level of stipend to hire entrepreneurial interns, as many start-up companies cannot afford to do so during their early stages of company development.

 

§         Current incubator tenants (and possibly virtual tenants of MMIC) should have preference to hire entrepreneurial interns

 

§         Once demand has been met for incubator companies, other qualified small businesses would be eligible to hire entrepreneurial interns

 

Understanding current internship processes at participating universities:  It was agreed by the group that to establish best practices for an entrepreneurial internship, the group must first document current processes used by group participants.  While each participant will have different nuances for each program, the group agreed there are some basic steps that every internship program will have the same basic steps.  These steps include:

 

1.       Need for intern identified, either by company or by student seeking internship

 

2.       Match student and business

 

3.       Document internship agreement

 

4.       Perform internship, submit reports

 

5.       Conclude internship/Post internship follow-up

 

Each participant will provide an outline of their current internship process, including unique activities, requirements, forms, supervision techniques, etc.  The data will be compiled into a spread similar to the one below so that “best practices” can be discussed and selected by workgroup participants. 

 

 

 

 

 

Workgroup participants will compile data and submit prior to the next phone conference.  Brent Case will put results into spread sheet so participants can review and discuss at the next phone conference. 

 

 

Workgroup participants that do not operate intern/co-op programs will research national Entrepreneurial Internship programs and include them in the analysis.

 

 

Draft definition of Entrepreneurial Internship:  “An internship or co-op performed by a student with any major at a company that is qualified as an entrepreneurial company.”

 

This definition is just a starting point and will be discussed and developed by workgroup participants.

 

 

Once the group agrees on a definition and best practices, the workgroup will draft an Entrepreneurial Internship program that could be adopted by all the participating organizations and possibly others in the Entrepreneurial Learning Community. 

 

 

Funding will be sought to support the program.