Infusing Entrepreneurship into Campus Culture through Faculty Development Workshops

Georgia State University introduced an Entrepreneurship Major in 2018, after successfully launching an Entrepreneurship Minor across campus, a few years earlier. In an effort to spur entrepreneurial thinking - both in the classroom and for research the Provost recently offered week-long faculty development workshops, in three tracks: 1-Translating discovery into products and enterprises for scientists; 2-Learning, and learning to teach, problem-based learning and design thinking methods; and 3-Main Street Entrepreneurs - the business side of innovation. One author fully designed, developed, and presented the Main Street Entrepreneurs track, while the other was a workshop participant and presenter on common legal issues for entrepreneurs. This track drew faculty from business and social sciences, as well as other academic disciplines. Participants had ideas for products and enterprises, but lacked basic knowledge of accounting, business regulations, fundraising and intellectual property rights. Topics included concept development, branding, venture financing and pitching project ideas. This paper details the successes of the workshop experience, as well as the potential impact that such workshops have on a campus culture.