Leadership and Entrepreneurship
Start with two basic premises: Leadership is not the same as management. Entrepreneurship is more than starting a business.
Leadership and entrepreneurship initiatives programs at Clemson University tend to be broad in scope and they extend across all academic disciplines. They are about vision and creativity, about seeing and seizing opportunities.
The Arthur M. Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership supports a variety of educational, research, and outreach programs that promote entrepreneurial activity and economic development. The focus is on wealth creation through new ventures, but entrepreneurial activity also drives nonprofit and public service programs that can have a major impact on society, says Spiro Institute Director Caron St. John.
The Spiro Institute assists inventors and entrepreneurs with market analyses and business planning, promotes the development of courses in entrepreneurship and new venture creation, and collaborates with on-campus and external organizations to support entrepreneurial activities in the region.
Providing real-world experience for students is a priority, says William Gartner, the Arthur M. Spiro Professor of Entrepreneurial Leadership and co-founder of the Entrepreneurship Research Consortium. “Every student needs the ability to spot opportunities and make things happen, to be creative and innovative,” he says.
Social responsibility and integrity, hallmarks of Clemson’s character since its founding, are essential to effective entrepreneurial leadership. The Robert J. Rutland Institute for Ethics at Clemson promotes these values through activities that reach faculty, staff, students and the community.
Through the Center for Student Involvement, Clemson’s Division of Student Affairs offers a series of LIFE (Leadership Involving the First-Year Experience) workshops for first-year students, plus an undergraduate leadership course open to all students. It also hosts a regional Fall for Leadership Conference for college students, and offers an intensive weeklong LeaderShape Institute in the spring.
These and other activities, including the time-proven leadership development programs of the Army ROTC and Air Force ROTC, provide the synergy for Clemson’s emphasis on leadership and entrepreneurship – where innovation is the key.
Related Centers and Programs:
Air Force ROTC
Army ROTC
Center for International Trade
Center for Student Involvement
Office of Technology Transfer
Rutland Institute for Ethics
S.C. Center for Grassroots and Nonprofit Leadership
Small Business Development Center
Spiro Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership