Newspapers / Meredith College Student Newspaper / Feb. 18, 2004, edition 1 / Page 5
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Page 5 February IS, 2004 CAMPUS NEWS Business Class Hopeftilly First of Many JANE LANGFORD Staff Writer In the United States, family firms represent 89 percent of all business and three-quarters of all business worldwide is family owned. With family businesses making up such a large portion of business, Meredith College has seen the need to delve into the field itself. Dr. Tony Bledsoe is leading the Family Business and Entrepreneurship drive on Meredith's campus. Two and a half years ago, Emily Richardson approached Bledsoe about doing an inde pendent study to fill her final three hours of graduation cred it. The two discussed what course the study could take and they agreed upon a family business study. Robinson's parents both owned businesses and as it turns out, many other Meredith students' families do as well. Using Robinson's research, they found out just how many. "In 2001," Biedsoe says, "Thirty percent of all incom ing freshman came from fami lies that owned businesses. For 2002 and 2003, the num bers are basically the same, between 27 and 30 percent.” The study also found that many Meredith students were interested in owning their own businesses. "We saw the statistics and asked 'Is there something we can do to enhance [the educa tion of entrepreneurship to those interested]? Then we asked 'If we offered a course, what would it be?'"stated Bledsoe Bledsoe then developed a model for a curriculum based on family businesses and entrepreneurship. He hopes it will soon become an interdis ciplinary minor. "My interest is in the long term growth of the program." This semester, the first class in the model is taking place. It is Business 940, Family Business Issues. There are seventeen students in the class. ”I like to call them pioneers because that's really what they are.” All the students at the moment are from the business department, but Bledsoe hopes and plans to have stu dents of all majors and inter ests in the program eventual ly- While the class does have a textbook and lectures, what makes it unique is the partner ships that have been created between the current students and Meredith alumnae. "Each woman has to identi fy and work with a partner. Partners are Meredith alum nae who own their own busi ness. They can also have worked in their family's busi ness. This class is really about getting classroom experience as well as outside experi ence," says Bledsoe At the moment, there are six partners that the students are working with, but Bledsoe plans to have a larger base soon. "I want this to be all within the Meredith community. By community I mean the alum nae, the families of students, and women who are currently going to school and owning their own business." The next course in the model, offered in the 2004 fall semester, is Entrepreneurship. How far the program contin ues to go after that is depend ent on the response and inter est generated from students Bledsoe says that there has been some interest generated in the students he's talked to in what he likes to call a "hall way survey." While on-campus interest in the program is growing, it is also growing in the business community. "In January of 2003 we received a Coleman Foundation Grant. In January of 2004 we received a Hughes Foundation Grant. We also have received two grants from the SBTDC [Small Business and Technological Development Center], one in April of 2003 and another in January of 2004"stated Bledsoe Meredith College is not the only school looking into the family business and entrepre neurial field. Bledsoe notes that "Duke is involved with this [field] and Wake Forest has a strong program." UNC- CH also has a program in the area as well as many major colleges across the country. Despite the attention to entrepreneurship nationally, Bledsoe is committed to keep ing the Meredith community the main objective in the pro gram, "Th^ focus is on women. The main focus is on Meredith women. We have women within the community that are doing great things and we can use them to improve the education of the current students.” Rdiss Your Yoicc Homelessness Awareness Week A Ckna to Gst Imolvd mi Mdk a Dijfmnc( AMY KAY NICKERSON Staff Writer Three years ago, may ors from across the United States met at their National Conference and passed a resolution to make fighting homeless ness a top priority, according to USMayors.org. Now, the City of Raleigh and Wake County are joining the national initiative to end homelessness in 10 years. Tomorrow, Thursday, February 19, Meredith College will host the first of five public forums, entitled, "An Education of Diversity." History and Politics professor, Dr. Barbara True-Weber has been working with Dr. Liz O'Sullivan, director of the Masters of Public Administration program at North Carolina State University, on the initia tive since September. "Dr. O'Sullivan gath ered a group of professors from Raleigh colleges and we explored ways that we could be involved in the process," True- Weber said. "The primary approach was to develop connections between stu dents and the advocacy groups and city officials." The group expects between 150-200 com munity leaders and public officials to attend the forum that will strive to raise awareness of home lessness in Raleigh and Wake County. Homelessness statistics from the Raleigh City Government are astound ing. There are between 1,450 and 1,500 persons who are homeless on Raleigh's streets on any given night. Seventy-five to eighty percent of the homeless work in a part- time job at the lowest end of the wage scale, accord ing to Wake County Community Assessment in 2000. Wake County's statis tics correspond with those of North Carolina. "From July 1, 1999 to June 30, 2000, 47,475 homeless people were served by 134 facilities in 55 counties," one report based on Emergency Shelter Grants program funding stated, "Of the 47,475 people served dur ing that period: 64 per cent were single adult males and females, 23 percent were children between ages birth to sev enteen years, 36 percent were members of fami lies, and 8 percent were veterans." Also working on the project are Meredith's VISTA representative. Winter Brown, and Volunteer Services direc tor, Lynne Wheatley. Brown believes that this conference, in con junction with the Campus Compact National Teleconference just min utes before the forum, will bring publicity and credibility to what Meredith's volunteers are trying to accomplish. "It is a unique opportu nity: the city coming to its citizens saying, 'we want your input'," Brown said. "This is an exciting moment to get involved. It's a chance you don't get very often."
Meredith College Student Newspaper
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Feb. 18, 2004, edition 1
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