The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 100, No. 38, Ed. 1 Sunday, February 19, 2012 Page: 5 of 8
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COBA
Griggs Center emphasizes philanthropy
Qtiality business schools
stress the importance of
entrepreneurship, and
ACU is making changes to
take it one step further by
continuing to educate stu-
dents in the art of starting
businesses, but also’teach
them how to help others
along the way.
The Griggs Center for
Entrepreneurship and Phi-
lanthropy was created in
late 2011 to build a platform
for this idea to be realized.
“Some board members
and successful alumni
wanted to enhance the focus
of the College of Business
in the concept of entrepre-
neurship and philanthropy,
said Dr. Jim Litton, director
of the Griggs Center.
Participants are devel-
oping curricular and co-
curricular options with the
goal of improving educa-
tion inside the classroom,
outside the classroom and
throughout the communi-
ty. The center was named
for Dr. Jack Griggs, board
of trustees member and
Overton Faubus professor
emeritus of business, who
served as dean of the Col-
lege of Business Adminis-
tration from 1991-99.
To improve study out-
side of the classroom, two
student organizations, Stu-
dents in Free Enterprise
and the Collegiate Entre-
preneurs Organization,
were created by the center
to provide a forum for stu-
dents interested in the topic,
said Litton. They meet in the
eHub, located in the Moore
House on EN 16th St.
Entrepreneurs-in-
residence, alumni work-
ing in the field in Abilene
and across the nation, are
available to students who
would like a professional’s
input on a matter.
Jarrod Brown, founder
of the non-profit Mission
Lazarus is working with
the group to give students
an opportunity to partici-
pate with his organization
in Honduras.
After taking a class taught
by Litton and Dr. Andy Little,
associate professor of busi-
ness, students will travel to
Mission Lazarus’ Honduras
operation where they will
work with Brown to create
and manage a retail organi-
zation. The project’s orga-
nizers believe working with
professionals' on tangible
projects will help students
understand the concepts
introduced in the new cur-
riculum.
Dr. Rick Lytle, dean of
the College of Business Ad-
ministration said the goal
is to establish a student-
run retail organization
that will import goods from
Mission Lazarus and serve
as the distribution arm.
"The students will be
faced with the question of
how do you go into devel-
oping countries that don’t
have the resources we have
and help struggling econo-
mies and create jobs and
businesses,” Lytle said.
Inside the classroom, the
Griggs Center is tasked with
creating curriculum op-
tions focused on integrating
entrepreneurship and phi-
lanthropy. Litton said the
center is working on a new
curriculum package, which
is available to students this
semester that embodies
these goals. The 9- to 12-
hour concentration will be
for all ACU students, not just
those in COBA, Litton said.
The primary concern of
the Griggs Center is edu-
cating students, but the
program also reaches out
to the community and sur-
rounding areas, said Lytle.
“The multi-faceted
core of the program is on
this campus, it is built for
ACU students, but through
making it for our students
we are helping the commu-
nity,” Lytle said. “We are
doing things with the state
and local government to
help spawn entrepreneur-
ship in the nineteen coun-
ty area around Abilene.'
Lytle said he agrees in
preparing students to be-
come successful entrepre-
neurs so they can give back
to others. And through the
mission of the Griggs cen-
ter, he hopes students to
see why that is important.
Litton agrees.
“One of the basic con-
cepts behind marrying
philanthropy with entre-
preneurship is the hope
that we are not only help-
ing to train students and
give them the skill sets to
be successful in their ca-
reers,” Litton said. "Part
of our goal is to make sure
students have that mindset
when they leave.”
Workshop to support Challenge participants
A workshop designed to pro-
vide support for teams en-
tering the Springboard Ideas
Challenge open to all stu-
dents and community mem-
bers will take place Friday.
The Business Plan Work-
shop, organized by the
Griggs Center for Entrepre-
neurship and Philanthropy,
will take place from 1-5 p.m.
in Room 301 of the Mabee
Business Building.
“This is helpful for those
competing in Springboard
because it helps teams un-
derstand the perspective of
our judges. If also provides
guidance for two areas in
which contestants frequent-
ly ask for help,” said Jim Lit-
ton, director of the Griggs
Center for Entrepreneurship
and Philanthropy and assis-
tant professor of business.
Kevin Castello, Dr. Bill
Petty and Hall Martin will
present at the workshop,
which is split into sessions
that help'answer the follow-
ing questions:
• What do angel investors
look for in a start-up?
• What goes into a busi-
ness plan?
• How are financial projec-
tions made?
• What should be said in a
pitch to a potential investor?
Castello, an intern analyst
atG51 Capital, has experience
in helping entrepreneurs find
funding from angel investors.
Petty, professor of fi-
nance and the W.W. Caruth
chairholder of entrepreneur-
ship at Baylor University, is an
expert on shareholder value-
based management and has
authored several works on
the topics of small business
management and finances.
Martin, director of the
Austin Entrepreneur Net-
work, works to assist start-
up companies and compa-
nies in the early stages of
development.
The West Texas Innova-
tion Network is sponsoring
We are doing things
with the state and local
government to help spawn
entrepreneurship.”
DR. RICK LYTLE
DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
the event, and a $200,000
grant was provided by the
Texas Workforce Commis-
sion to make it possible.
“This is the first time we
have hosted this particular
workshop,” Litton said. “We
have partnered with the lo-
cal SBDC office in the past to
conduct workshops in con-
nection with Springboard.”
The deadline to submit
a business plan for the 2012
Springboard Ideas Challenge
is Mar. 28. The workshop is
available to students ahead of
time so they can work on their
plan before the deadline.
CONTACT SUTHERLAND AT
SNS08A@ACU.EBli
MANDY LAMBRIGHT CHE PHOTOGRAPHER
The women of Ko Jo Kai perform their Sing Song act during the Wednesday night
dress rehearsal.
WISDOM
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CRANK OUT MUCHO
TACOS!
-Rosas Cafe
3333 Catclaw Drive
1026 North Judge Ely Boulevaf
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■ills
1
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our Sunday evening buffet,
with current college ID!
18 Years... Voted
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 100, No. 38, Ed. 1 Sunday, February 19, 2012, newspaper, February 19, 2012; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth896700/m1/5/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.