The West Virginia University College of Business and Economics will offer its first-ever Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Academy in August to help provide business skills and tools to persons involved in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines.

The week-long program will be held August 7-11 on the WVU campus in Morgantown at the Erickson Alumni Center. The academy is offered by B&E’s Center for Executive Education and the WVU Office of Graduate Education & Life.

“The Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Academy is a unique opportunity for WVU to marry our concentrated efforts on the STEM disciplines with a demonstrated need to develop business skills within those disciplines,” said Dr. Jose V. Sartarelli, Milan Puskar Dean, College of Business and Economics.

“We have also identified entrepreneurship and innovation within our strategic priorities, and we are committed to creating and cultivating a culture where great business ideas can be transformed into real businesses,” Sartarelli said. “The West Virginia Statewide Collegiate Business Plan Competition, an initiative of the WVU College of Business and Economics, is one component of that commitment, and this science and technology entrepreneurship academy will certainly be another component.”

The academy will provide professionals and selected doctoral students in the STEM disciplines with the business tools to launch a new venture or succeed in their business careers. Participants will build a solid foundation in management and leadership, including communication skills, team-building, conflict management, strategy, project management and effective workflow techniques, and budget planning. Academy participants will also learn how to evaluate the commercialization prospects of an idea, write an effective business plan and pitch their idea to potential investors.

This course is open to STEM professionals at all levels seeking practical tools to advance their careers. A limited number of scholarships are available to currently enrolled doctoral students at WVU.

For complete details, please visit www.be.wvu.edu/execed/index.htm or contact Martina Bison-Huckaby at (304) 293-7926 or martina.bison-huckaby@mail.wvu.edu .

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CONTACT: Patrick Gregg, College of Business and Economics
304.293.5131; Patrick.Gregg@mail.wvu.edu

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