The University of Baltimore has made an investment in entrepreneurship.
Branching out its Merrick School of Business, the University of Baltimore looks to include a more hands-on and intensive entrepreneurship program as part of its curriculum.
Set to start in the fall, many faculty members, outside advisers and students have been active about the creation of an advanced curriculum that features targeted courses for freshman and sophomores in the entrepreneurship program.
Stuart Silberg, the entrepreneur in residence at Merrick, will serve as a coach, mentor and adviser during the expansion.
“What we try to do is advance the entrepreneurial spirit,” said Silberg, one of the original managers of C-Mart, a local family business.
One of the reasons for the emphasis on entrepreneurship has been the success of the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship. In its third year in Baltimore, the program teaches students business concepts, practices negotiation and pricing skills and works on the completion of a business plan for their own company.
The NFTE program is under way in 12 high schools and middle schools throughout the region, reaching about 900 students. In a collaborative effort with the Maryland Higher Education Commission, the University of Baltimore has worked with NFTE to use the roots that it plants.
“We can now see a direct bridge to a business degree at the University of Baltimore,” said Jim Kucher, executive director of the Entrepreneurship Program in the Merrick School of Business. “We have students here [who] are running businesses while they are going to school.”
Ultimately, the UB wants its entrepreneur students to serve as consultants for local clients. The service will not only provide direct, hands-on experience for the students, but also will serve as an opportunity that will help raise funds for a fledgling program.
