Over the weekend, I was reading Inc. Magazine. Anyone else familiar with it? It is the go-to publication for cutting-edge business, technology and marketing information.
So, what does that have to do with higher-ed? Usually, not much. But today, everything.

In their article on how to revitalize the American economy, Inc. puts forth a 16-point plan on how to turn around the current economic situation. And, it relies heavily on the US educational system to help create a new generation of entrepreneur. In fact, it emphasizes the role that higher-ed can play almost more than the role that the federal government needs to play.

A couple of the main action items for higher-ed:
-create more entrepreneurship programs in colleges…and not just in the b-schools
-open up the H-1B student visa restrictions to let entrepreneurs from other countries incubate their ides here in the US
-teach the importance of entrepreneurship to children, starting in middle school
-create programs to defer student loan payments for those recent grads who are running start-up companies

Definitely read the full article. Hopefully it will spark a few ideas on your own campus. We hear a lot of lip-service paid to “taking education out of the classroom and into the real world”. Now, more than ever, is the time to take that statement out of your viewbook and put it into practice.