Left: (l-r) Toriano Parker, Deuces Live, Inc.; Mike Jalazo, Pinellas Ex-Offender Reentry Coalition; Kelly Sims, St. Pete Greenhouse; and Gary Schoeniger, Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative, participate in ASPEC's Panel on Entrepreneurial Initiatives in Community Development. Mr. Sims describes the Ice House Entrepreneurship training he leads through the St. Pete Greenhouse. Participants receive training, mentoring and advisory services, and start-up funds for new ventures.
by Amanda Hagood photos by Donna Littell
On November 2nd, 2016, Gary Schoeniger, founder of the Kauffman Foundation's Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative, paid an action-packed visit to Eckerd. To a day that already included conversations with faculty, students, alumni, ASPEC members, and community leaders from around St. Petersburg, Schoeniger added a keynote address, "Redefining Entrepreneurship," and book signing attended by 120 campus and community members.
Right: Gary Schoeniger, center, chats with ASPEC Director Ken Wolfe, left, and Eckerd alumnus Fred Wells.
Schoeniger is an internationally recognized thought leader in the field of entrepreneurial mindset education, which seeks to understand not just how entrepreneurs create and sustain new ventures, but also what outlooks and habits of thought encourage entrepreneurial behavior, and how and under what conditions entrepreneurial learning occurs. Schoeniger lamented the prominence of what he calls the "Silicon Valley" narrative in our cultural perceptions about entrepreneurship.
"While elite Silicon Valley success stories may capture headlines, they do not accurately reflect the process that most entrepreneurs undertake," Schoeniger said.
"Schoeniger moves beyond the traditional concept of entrepreneurship as the creation and management of small businesses," Hagood said. "Rather, he links entrepreneurship to cultivating qualities such as persistence,
creativity, and excellent observational skills, which help build strong communities."
Entrepreneurial thinking as a framework for Imagining Justice
The 2016-2017 CPS theme of Imagining Justice invites varied ways of approaching the issue of justice, whether justice is defined as building a just society, living a just life, or an ideal that changes with time and place, noted Hagood.
"The Redefining Entrepreneurship keynote builds upon this theme by encouraging audience members to think about entrepreneurship as a framework for thinking, acting, and creative problem solving for the purpose of social innovation and change," Hagood explained, "especially as a means for building enterprises that address poverty, inequity, and many other forms of injustice.
Hagood said this understanding of entrepreneurship emphasizes many of the same practices—that of seeking empathy, close observation, creative thinking, and intercultural communication—that Imagining Justice will promote through its diverse course materials.
"This talk also reflects the larger mission of Schoeniger’s Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative, developed through support from the Kauffman Foundation, which seeks to assist people from diverse communities across the globe to develop their own ability to improve their socioeconomic status and strengthen their communities," said Hagood.
Hagood said Schoeniger's books will be available for sale at the event, and he will sign books following the talk.
PEL students and alumni invited to pre-event Coffee Hour
While Schoeniger's keynote is open to the public, PEL's Alumni Ambassadors invite current PEL students and PEL alumni to attend a pre-event Coffee Hour from 4:30 to 5:30 in the lobby of the James Center (in the CMS building) with Schoeniger.
"Many of our PEL students are currently taking or plan to take a course we are offering this year called Cultivating the Entrepreneurial Mindset, taught by Professor James Welch," said Hagood. "Our Alumni Ambassadors are pleased to offer PEL students and alumni this extra opportunity to learn from one of the foremost leaders in the field."
"We hope to spark a campus-wide conversation about this particular approach to imagining justice," Hagood said.
Interested in attending the Coffee Hour with Gary Schoeniger? Call or email Amanda Hagood at (727) 826-8366 or hagoodca@eckerd.edu.
Right: Gary Schoeniger, center, chats with ASPEC Director Ken Wolfe, left, and Eckerd alumnus Fred Wells.
