Students who aspire to be their own boss at Lawrence Technological University got a six-figure boost this fall.
The Southfield-based university won a $150,000 grant from the Chicago-based Coleman Foundation to promote and facilitate entrepreneurial education. The grant will be doled out over two years and it will make Lawrence Tech’s entrepreneurial education program available to students pursuing degrees in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Architecture and Design, and Management.
"We have so many students that have the skill sets and opportunities to pursue self-employment after graduation," says Karen Evans, senior lecturer in the College of Management for
Lawrence Technological University. "They might not feel empowered to do that. We want to fill those gaps for them."
Part of filling those gaps will be showcasing the university's entrepreneurial endeavors to the metro area for the next two years. It will also work to increase awareness between students and staff working on entrepreneurial projects and encourage them to collaborate more.
"We want to show students what other students are doing," Evans says.
The
Coleman Foundation is a private, independent grant-making organization that funds educational institutions that offer entrepreneurship training and support. Lawrence Tech's College of Engineering has an entrepreneurial education program for engineering students supported by a grant from the
Kern Family Foundation. The university is an active member of the Kern Entrepreneurial Education Network.
Source: Karen Evans, senior lecturer in the college of management for Lawrence Technological University
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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