Faculty-staff teams earn entrepreneurship grants

Three new ASU faculty-staff teams have been awarded $40,000 Pathways to Entrepreneurship Grants to put into action new ideas that will further entrepreneurship education.

The projects include programs to transform education in the technology domain, expand support services for business start-ups, and develop a certificate in entrepreneurial ventures.

The first project, “Agile Methods for Entrepreneurship, the AME Project,” will infuse “agile methods” into the software development and systems technology curriculum.

According to the project team, agile methods focus on enabling people over rigid processes to make projects successful.

Many engineering development process models are based on rigid, well-defined processes that emphasize predictable results under precise conditions. These processes do not apply to “outside the box” creative processes, or to situations with rapidly changing environments and constraints, and they do not promote creative risk-taking in students. Agile methods address these issues – precisely the factors found in entrepreneurial endeavors – through a “fast, light, and embracing change” philosophy.

In addition to creating curricular content, the AME Project aims to promote transferring student projects from the classroom to commercial ventures.

The AME program will leverage connections to entrepreneurial companies partnering with ASU through the Distributed and Enterprise Applications Consortium, leverage the culture and practices of the University Technology Office (UTO), and promote multidisciplinary experiences between the Division of Computing Studies in the College of Technology and Innovation and the Morrison School of Management and Agribusiness.

The project team includes:

• Kevin Gary, assistant professor, Division of Computing Studies.

• Harry Koehnemann, associate professor, Division of Computing Studies.

• Adrian Sannier, professor and deputy vice president of UTO.

• Albert Kagan, professor, Morrison School.

• Ram Acharya, associate research professor, Morrison School.

The second project, “Technology Ventures Services Group,” will build on the foundation of the Technology Ventures Clinic. It will expand to provide support services for local business start-ups with the overall goal of cultivating and growing viable small businesses that are ready for funding (angel or venture capital rounds) or other commercialization activities (such as licensing, joint venture and other activities).

The project is developed in partnership with Arizona Technology Enterprises, ASU Technopolis, the Biodesign Institute, Arizona Technology Innovation Collaboratory, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Barrett, the Honors College, the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering, the Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law and the W. P. Carey School of Business.

The project team includes:

• Eric Menkhus, associate clinical professor of law and director of the Technology Ventures Clinic.

• Gerry Keim, associate dean, W. P. Carey MBA.

• Thomas Duening, director of Entrepreneurial Programs Office and the Arizona Technology Investors Forum.

• Guy Cardineau, research professor in the School of Life Sciences.

• Jill Johnson, internship coordinator in Barrett, the Honors College.

• John Snodgrass, assistant director of Entrepreneurial Programs, Edson Student Ventures and Technopolis.

• Charlie Lewis, senior director, business development, Arizona Technology Enterprises.

The third project, “Bring your own Business: Certificate in Entrepreneurial Ventures Program,” will develop of an 18-credit-hour certificate in entrepreneurial ventures. The certificate will give all ASU students, regardless of campus or major, the chance to get the entrepreneurship skills they need to create and implement a sound entrepreneurial business venture plan. The classes will be taught by experienced business entrepreneurs and will include an internship.

The program will be developed in partnership with the Applied learning Technologies Institute and the School of Global Management and Leadership.

Team members include:

• Adegoke Oke, assistant professor of quantitative business analysis at the School of Global Management & Leadership.

• Elaine Jordan, who teaches for the department of Social and Behavioral Science and is program manager for the college internship program in the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences.

• Ursula Scheren, academic services manager in the School of Global Management and Leadership.

• Dan O’Neill, entrepreneurial coach for Entrepreneurial Services of the ASU Office of Research and Economic Affairs.

• Jane Carey, associate professor of information systems and director of undergraduate programs and assessment for the School of Global Management and Leadership.

For more information, visit the Web site www.asu.edu/ui/entrepreneurship/atasu/peg.