WVU Parkersburg receives $22,550 Benedum grant

WVU Parkersburg receives Benedum grant to develop an entrepreneurship culture.

CONTACT: Dr. Rhonda Richards, senior vice president, academic affairs, 304-424-8242.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

West Virginia University at Parkersburg is the recipient of a $22,550 grant from the Benedum Foundation to develop an entrepreneurship culture.

The grant project has two initiatives: to establish an Entrepreneurship Resource Center and to support an on-line Entrepreneurial Studies Certificate program.

The resource center will be available to all WVU Parkersburg students as well as community members. It will be housed in the college's library and available during its regular hours of operation.

"This center will provide a visible symbol of the importance of entrepreneurial studies," noted Rhonda Richards, senior vice president of academic affairs.

More importantly, she added, the center will serve as a resource for students enrolled in the college's Entrepreneurship Certificate program who are completing the certificate's end-of-program project in the areas of innovation and lifestyle.

The 12-hour Undergraduate Certificate includes courses in entrepreneurship, managing and marketing, financing and information, and new venure accounting.

"Our goal is to promote the concept of "creating a job" instead of just "getting a job," Dr. Richards said.

Plans are to provide professional development for faculty in entrepreneurial skills training; incorporate a business plan competition for students in the curriculum, and integrate an entrepreneurship component in all career subject areas. The goal is to attract 135 students within the Community and Technical College System of West Virginia to the certificate program.

Dr. Richards said the college envisions that new businesses will be started as a result of the development of an entrepreneurship culture.

cd09/15/09