2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
    Oct 15, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program


Department Chair:  Vasiliki Kosmidou, Ph.D., University of Louisville

Executive Director:  Brian A. Marks, J.D., Ph.D., Washington University

Affiliated Faculty:

  • Professor:  Robert Albright, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh; Maria-Isabel Carnasciali, Ph.D, Georgia Institute of Technology; Ravi Gorthala, Ph.D., University of Mississippi; Ronald Harichandran, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Brian Kench, Ph.D., University of Connecticut; Jean Nocito-Gobel, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts - Amherst; Armando Rodriguez, Ph.D., University of Texas - Austin; Charles Skipton, Ph.D., Florida State University
  • Associate Professor:  Byungik Chang, Ph.D., P.E., Iowa State University; Gokhan Egilmez, Ph.D., Ohio University; Amir Esmailpour, Ph.D, University of Guelph (Canada); Tom Garrett, M.F.A., New York University; Joseph A. Levert, Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Assistant Professor:  Vasiliki Kosmidou, Ph.D., University of Louisville
  • Lecturer:  Brian A. Marks, J.D., Ph.D., (Senior Lecturer), Washington University; James Marcus, Ph.D., (Distinguished Lecturer), Tufts University

 

The newly created Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program and associated academic department is a university-wide initiative with faculty members across multiple disciplines collaborating to help students challenge their assumptions, foster their creativity, and acquire entrepreneurial knowledge and skills within a hands-on and team-driven environment.

Through our curricular offerings, we infuse entrepreneurial thought and assist students to learn to identify, create, and develop an entrepreneurial mindset. From Introduction to Business and Entrepreneurship (BUSA 1000 ), a required course for all business freshmen, to more advanced electives such as Design and Innovation (ENTP 3390 ) and New Venture Management and Growth (MGMT 4417 ), our courses enable students to understand the different stages of the entrepreneurial process from start-up to growth, while equipping them with valuable professional skills. Specifically, during the Nicholson Business Plan Competition, a culminating experience for students enrolled in BUSA 1000 , students deliver their pitch, get feedback from experienced judges, and enhance their public speaking and communication skills.

This Program also offers students unique opportunities to participate in a range of co-curricular activities designed to enable them to unleash their entrepreneurial potential. For example, the Charger Startup Weekend, a two-and-a-half day workshop, empowers students to work in groups under the guidance of professional mentors in order to harness their imagination and identify entrepreneurial opportunities. Similarly, the Alvine New Venture Pitch Competition represents a distinct experience for students from multiple disciplines to work collaboratively in small teams, pitch their venture ideas to a panel of experienced business leaders, and win start-up funding.

There are many career paths in business for students with a minor in entrepreneurship. Creativity and entrepreneurial thinking are essential attributes in today's corporate world and our students are well trained to not only launch successful new ventures but also bring a fresh and innovative perspective to an existing organization. The Entrepreneurship and Innovation program at the University of New Haven specifically provides students with the knowledge and skills that they need to be workforce-ready, become entrepreneurial, and succeed in their professional careers. Students learn to think critically, challenge their assumptions, solve problems in creative ways, and communicate effectively all of which help prepare them for their professional success.

The Program encourages internships, which enable students to combine their education with practical, experiential opportunities. For further details email the Pompea College of Business Internship & Co-op director Michael Driscoll at mdriscoll@NewHaven.edu. 

Programs