Babson College Welcomes IPM Team
From April 13-17, 2015 five IPM faculty and managers visited Babson College (Massachusetts). The tour was part of DRIVES Belarus project (DELIVERING REGIONAL INSTRUCTION VITAL TO ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS) and included a host of opportunities to discuss entrepreneurship priorities and strategies with Babson faculty experts ranging from Provost Alfred Nanni to a current first-year undergraduate student who is a citizen of Belarus (Babson College’s first-ever Belarus national).
From April 13-17, 2015 five IPM faculty and managers visited Babson College (Massachusetts). The tour was part of DRIVES Belarus project (DELIVERING REGIONAL INSTRUCTION VITAL TO ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS) and included a host of opportunities to discuss entrepreneurship priorities and strategies with Babson faculty experts ranging from Provost Alfred Nanni to a current first-year undergraduate student who is a citizen of Belarus (Babson College’s first-ever Belarus national).
IPM delegation had numerous opportunities to interact with Babson faculty and students. Highlights from the study tour include:
· Overview of Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship
· Overview of Butler Venture Accelerator and Babson Summer Venture Program
· 3 MBA Classes observed (Entrepreneurship and Opportunities, Managing a Growing Business, and New Venture Creation)
· Overview of Babson Entrepreneurship Curriculum
· Overview of The Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership
· 2 meetings with Lewis Institute for Social Innovation Directors
· 2 meetings with the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Directors
· Observation and evaluation of the Blank Center’s B.E.T.A. (Babson Entrepreneurial Thought and Action) Challenge Finals
· Participation in Alumni Entrepreneur Hall of Fame Reception & Dinner
Babson welcomed IPM team with open arms and provided privileged access to the highest officers and faculty at the Blank Center and the college throughout the five days.
All of the overview sessions above were led by the senior officers and directors of the Babson College. Several initial meetings resulted in follow up meetings toward the end of the week.
One of the MBA classes observed was led by Matt Allen, Associate Professor in the Entrepreneurship Division and Faculty Director for the Institute for Family Entrepreneurship, and Academic Director for the Global Successful Transgenerational Entrepreneurship Practices (STEP) Project.
The discussion with Professor Allen evolved into an idea to develop a short course on planning and governance issues related specifically to family and multigenerational businesses.
The introduction to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (“GEM”) leadership developed into discussions about an opportunity for IPM Research Center, a unit within IPM Business School. The GEM project is an annual assessment of the entrepreneurial activity, aspirations, and attitudes of individuals from over 100 countries.
A half-day workshop was conducted with partners and academic experts James Sanders (University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business) and Jeff Schiebe (Babson College Summer Venture Program Co-Director & Hult International Business School Professor of Marketing) discussed key elements of the coursework to be developed under the DRIVES project.
IPM management determined the final four new entrepreneurship courses to be developed:
1. Entrepreneurship and Opportunity (with an introductory, full-length course with a module dedicated to IT Entrepreneurship)
2. Managing a Family Business
3. Managing a Growing Business
