Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

 

To better serve the region’s current and future entrepreneurs, Rowan University has expanded its credit and non-credit course offerings in this field by establishing the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE). The Center offers courses, seminars and presentations on the various facets of entrepreneurship and will collaborate with other entrepreneurial entities at Rowan University—the engineering clinics and the Management Institute among others—to enhance the University’s capabilities in the education of entrepreneurs. In addition, well-known entrepreneurial experts will be featured as visiting professors.

CIE is responsible for program development and implementation, including mentoring services for the incubator. Additional incubators are also planned, one for non-tech companies and another, associated with the NPDC (see below) for a non-profit incubator. The CIE business incubators will be a resource for start-up and growth businesses. Providing specialized support for high potential companies, the incubators will have access to high-tech labs, broad networks of professionals throughout the region, office, research and reception services, and many training and mentoring services.

CIE has performed follow-up consulting work to expand upon projects completed by students as part of class assignments. One example of a noteworthy project included updates and revisions to an economic impact study completed for the New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP).

CIE is also involved in local and regional economic development activities. In the past, the CIE has worked with the municipalities such as Haddonfield, Mullica Hill, Glassboro, Clayton, Voorhees, and Newfield. The projects ranged from downtown Glassboro beautification to revitalization of the Echelon Mall.

Project-Based Learning
Project-based learning ventures at Rowan University enable students to interact directly with businesses. Applying learned skills to solve real-world business issues not only provides tangible experience for students, it offers local businesses free consulting from fresh sources. This new experience is available to students across many disciplines not traditionally involved with hands-on situations outside internships.

The Entrepreneurs’ Forum of Southern New Jersey (EFSNJ)
EFSNJ (www.efsnj.org) is a separate 501(c)3 non-profit organization administered by the CIE. The mission of the EFSNJ is to foster the development of entrepreneurial people and ventures and to improve the success rate of emerging, growth-oriented companies. The EFSNJ provides monthly meetings on topics relevant to start-ups and small businesses and serves the southern New Jersey market. Forum’s mission is to further entrepreneurial development throughout the region, with the ultimate goal of increasing economic wealth in the area.

For more information about the Rohrer College of Business Incubator contact:
Sarah Piddington, Interim Director
(856) 256-4271
Piddington@rowan.edu