Many employees don't really respect or understand the business side of our schools.
Can you give some examples of the Edupreneurial Spirit in practice at your school?
Joe
Great input Jorge. I think you have got the right idea about what an Educator and an Entrepreneur both do inside of an educational environment.
I always have been clear in that we have to do the University like a business and for that the necessity to offer a good service to the students to prepare good citizens and professionals. I have been recognized by the availability and my policy of opened doors all my students and employees.
Hi Ida,
The point of the Edupreneurial Spirit is that all employees understand that a career college is not only an educational institution but also a business.
Joe
HI Andrea:
We are in the business of changing lives and it is a very serious business. It is easy to get bogged down in the structure of it all but making a point of connecting with students helps.
Smile, be polite, listen, help…it helps to stay connected.
Students benefit from an EduPreneurial Spirit in several ways. First, by the education that they receive from an institution that is student centered. Second, the experience of being the focus of this spirit is “modeled†behavior for the student.
Employees and the school certainly benefit when students have a good and successful academic experience. They are likely to share that experience with others.
Kathy, I really like how you have worked with the students capturing the EduPreneurial spirit. This is great!
By fostering the idea that the student is connected to the campus; not just for their education, but as a member and participant, with a voice; it gives the student as sense of being part of something bigger than themselves. Actively seeking their input; opinions and ideas for the campus is an important aspect of the EduPreneurial Spirit. We have several student organizations active on the campus and we encourage them to seek out activities that benefit the community. This way, they represent themselves as a group, a unit, a team and develope a oneness with the school. They then mirror the positive to the community and to their fellow students; their expectations are raised and being a part of the school becomes larger than just showing up for class; it becomes an investment in themselves.
The EduPreneurial Spirit can keep you motivated. If you are not motivated or excited about what you are doing, you will not believe in it. You must be there because you want to be there not because of a paycheck. We all need to work but if that is your only motivation you will not have the drive to do a good job and to make a difference.
You are right Joe. Just understanding how important the students are to the business will make a big difference. This is also a great example of customer service at its best.
The EduPRENEURIAL Spirit statement is so true and our school strives to live by that day in day out. We Ignite and Inpire our students and in return the outcome for students and the business will be profitable.
A major part of the Edupreneurial Spirit is for all employees to understand and respect that the school is also a business. Employees need to know that decisions are made with both solid education and business practices in mind. Our sector is different from many other sectors of higher education in this respect.
Joe
Retention had not been an issue at our school for many years. Our programs were short-term and students finished quickly. As we implemented longer-term, career oriented programs, we were blind-sided by a drop in our Completion Rates. We had not really taken into consideration the EduPreneurial Spirt that was necessary to see the students as our customers. We knew that the new programs could prepare the students for careers and future success, and the students "ought-a-want-a" stay in school. We did not deal with the changes we needed to make! Since then we have focused on Customer Service, Goal Setting, Student Involvement, etc. Progress is being made, but we still can do better.
Andrew,
Anyone the understands the business world relates to the Edupreneurial Spirit!!!
Sometimes employees in our Career Schools that come from the field of education are not aware
of the fact that these schools are businesses.
Joe
Being one of the few faculty members that come from a heavy sales background- I really relate to the “edupreneurial spiritâ€. Although everyone does their individual jobs quite well- I look forward to sharing with them the bigger picture and how we all work for the student. Ultimately the student is our Boss.
I think that this is a really valid comment. I have experienced exactly this phenomenon with some of the instructors I work with, who seem to think that if there are some students who just don't get it, that is their tough luck! It's vital to make all educators aware of the importance of student retention; not only for "business" reasons, but because we strive to help all of our students succeed, achieve their goals and change their lives for the better.
Great idea!!!
It is important that school employees also understand the business side of our sector.
Our school for years had a course that served a very narrow section of the offshore industry. This section of the industry also had a vary high turnover rate. As a result any student that left the industry had no where to continue to use his education. As a result the staff expanded the program to include modules that would be valuable to the student in more than one industry sector. The result was a more valuable employee and more than one career path for each student, better earnings potential and increased word of mouth sales. Win/Win
I think that most educators miss the importance of the "business side" of our sector because they are unfamiliar with it. Many instructors attended what I call "weed out" colleges(those that don't care if students drop out) and thus think that is the way it is suppose to be. We need to educate them from the beginning about the difference.
Thanks for your comments Chad. This is a great example of how to help the whole organization embrace the EduPreneurial Spirit.
