A new entrepreneurial minor will be offered to Syracuse University undergraduates beginning in the fall, through the efforts of four different schools.

The minor — information technology, design and startups — will provide entrepreneurs with the resources to ‘create a business idea, flush it out and then turn it into a real business,’ said Kyle McShane, a master’s student in the information management program.

The program is a collaborative effort among the School of Information Studies, the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science and the College of Visual and Performing Arts, McShane said.

‘Not only do you have the ability to start your business, but — if your business doesn’t work out — companies love to see entrepreneurial background on your resume,’ McShane said. ‘Even if you end up not starting a business, it would help you on your job search.’

McShane has been working with Dave Molta, an assistant professor in the iSchool, to plan and launch the minor. They expect to see a new group of 20 to 30 students enroll by the end of the year, Molta said in an email.

The only admission requirement for this minor is registering for IDS 402: ‘Idea2Startup: Technology Entrepreneurship.’ Students are required to submit a venture proposal to their course instructor to register for the course, according to the minor’s brochure.

The other three required classes for the 18-credit minor include EEE 370: ‘Introduction to Entrepreneurship,’ IDS 401: ‘What’s the Big Idea? Technology Innovation’ and IDS 403: ‘Startup Sandbox.’ These courses are taught in the Syracuse Technology Garden, a local incubator of technology-oriented businesses in downtown Syracuse, according to the brochure.

‘Each course in the minor is geared toward helping the students move their business,’ said Michael D’Eredita, an associate professor in the iSchool who teaches one of the required classes. He said the minor will help students manage starting a business and studying at the same time.

Although some mandatory classes for the minor have been in place for two and a half years, including Startup Sandbox, the minor program will formalize the existing classes into one program, D’Eredita said.

This minor is different from entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises classes available at Whitman because it focuses on hands-on experience and establishing one’s business venture, McShane said.

‘The main difference that I see between these classes and the ones at Whitman is that there’s a lot more experiential learning,’ said McShane, who graduated from Whitman as an undergraduate last year. ‘So it’s not like you’re getting lectured the whole time. It’s more like you’re building your business.’

This minor will benefit both the broader Syracuse community and SU students, McShane said.

‘The way the economy is right now, we need entrepreneurs to create jobs,’ McShane said. ‘We need people that are getting educated here in Central New York and at Syracuse University to start businesses and stay here, instead of just leaving and going to New York City or some other big city for jobs.’

Some nonprofits that originated from courses like the Startup Sandbox have already been successful in the local Syracuse area, McShane said, citing a student-run initiative called The Front. The Front aims to revitalize downtown Syracuse by refurbishing vacant spaces to inspire others to re-engage their relationship to the city, according to its website.

The minor program is funded through university tuition, although student teams may receive outside investments for various ventures, such as businesses launched through the Startup Sandbox, said D’Eredita, the associate professor in the iSchool.

D’Eredita said such minors are not widespread across the country.

‘The more people we talk to, the more we realize how unique this program is,’ he said. ‘The tagline really is it’s focused on business-doing, not planning.’

chlevin@syr.edu

Published on April 27, 2011 at 12:00 pm