Keeley Sheehan
Managing Editor
The College of Business has added a new major and minor in entrepreneurship, approved in October 2010, and the Entrepreneurship Club, a 2008 addition to the campus clubs roster, has been growing each semester as more students look to expand their business sense.
Approximately 164 students are signed up for the club, according to Nassim Shamsideen, club president. The club will meet in a new location this semester—Davis 130—for its bi-weekly Tuesday meetings, at 5 p.m.
“We are hoping that with our new meeting location, Davis 130, that we will be able to accommodate more students attending the … meetings,” Shamsideen said.
The first meeting is on Jan. 11.
William Jackson, associate dean for undergraduate programs and professor of entrepreneurship and innovation, formed the club in 2008 as an official chapter of the national Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization.
“With the new major and minor in Entrepreneurship now being offered by the College of Business, the club has really taken off this year,” Shamsideen said.
The club aims to help students with their goals to become entrepreneurs through opportunities, events and activities.
“The club was formed to help students acquire a better understanding of Entrepreneurship and promote networking through lectures by business leaders, community involvement projects and the exchange of entrepreneurial ideas,” Shamsideen said.
The club has grown, Shamsideen said, with a “website for communication and idea exchange,” as more students seek to pursue their business-related goals. The unemployment rate in the U.S. is hovering around 9.3 percent, as of November 2010, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In October 2010, the unemployment rate in Florida was approximately 11 percent, according to the BLS.
“Students are ready to chart their own course in these tumultuous economic times,” Shamsideen said. “Self-venturing is a way to create opportunity, independence and prosperity based on personal initiative. Word is getting around that there is a lot of energy and networking opportunities here on campus.”
The club is open to students of all majors. “The diversity of interest and skills makes for a strong, well rounded organization,” Shamsideen said.
The club is part of a larger initiative, the Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Innovation Alliance, begun by Jackson early in 2010.
The alliance is made up of programs like the club, and other campus and community members that aim to “[build] a community of successful, visionary entrepreneurs dedicated to making an impact in our community,” according to the program’s website.
“Smart students are looking for ways to network with other students and local professionals,” Shamsideen said. “Last semester we were invited to attend Dr. Jackson’s Entrepreneurial Leadership class. The speakers were outstanding. Students in the club benefit from all the efforts of the [alliance].”
