The Entrepreneurship program at Sierra Nevada College was created with the active guidance of several College Trustees, many of whom have been and/or are successful entrepreneurs in their own right. It has been designed to not only develop the knowledge, skills, and attributes associated with entrepreneurial creativity and vision, but also imbue in students with a solid, broad-based foundation of general management and leadership skills – critical success factors in ensuring the sustainability of all enterprises. Student learning is deepened through the use of life-long learning oriented pedagogy characterized by:
A bias toward practical application vis-à-vis mere academic theory;
Instruction/coaching/mentoring by inspired faculty with extensive practical business and leadership experience as senior executives in both the public and private sectors;
Interactive classroom discussion with actual entrepreneurs from both the private sector and not-for-profit arenas;
Small class sizes conducive to superb student-faculty and student-student interaction and support;
Effective use of collaborative learning techniques;
Analysis of real-life case studies;
Comprehensive review of specially-selected academic literature;
Mentored instruction in how to write and present effective business plans.
Whether a student seeks to develop his or her entrepreneurial skill set in order to found and operate an independent commercial or non-profit enterprise, or develop entre-/intrapreneurial attributes for application within a corporate setting, Sierra Nevada’s entrepreneurship program is custom designed for superior educational development.
Entrepreneurship students at Sierra Nevada College, as do all other SNC students, take a minimum of 18 units of general liberal arts courses (English composition; ecopsychology; environmental science; mathematics; creativity, innovation and sustainability; World Civilization; ethics; etc.) in order to establish a broad-based classical education foundation. In addition, they receive a wide spectrum of business foundation courses in financial and managerial accounting, micro and macroeconomics, principles of management, MIS applications, business law, business communications, marketing, finance, and business strategy. Atop this knowledge base we then layer Foundations of Entrepreneurship (an introductory course); a more advanced Creating Entrepreneurial Ventures course focused on the development of a complete business plan; and classes in Opportunity Recognition, Operations Management, Venture Growth Strategies, New Venture Financing, Social Entrepreneurship, Corporate “Intrapreneurship,” entrepreneurial internships, and a variety of elective specialization courses. Students are also encouraged to enter their business plans in one or more collegiate entrepreneurial competitions, and several have won special honors and investment funding as a result of their entries (see “Indicators of Program Success” below).
Independent study courses are also available that can be customized to individual learning needs. Several students have used independent study courses to refine strategic and operating plans for businesses they plan to launch after graduation, or even while still completing undergraduate studies.
Although Sierra Nevada College does not currently offer a post-graduate degree in the business field, plans for the introduction of an MBA program are currently under development, and, indeed, the entire Business Department curriculum has recently been redesigned to enhance graduates’ likelihood of acceptance to top tier graduate schools of business.
It was love at first sight. Point Blank, the title of Kat Hutter’s recent series of paintings, shot straight to my heart. Yeah, I know it’s a weak pun, but...
North Lake Tahoe Bonanza: Officials at Sierra Nevada College announced that Julie Foster will be joining Sierra Nevada College as Dean of Enrollment Services and Student Affairs.
North Lake Tahoe Bonanza: As Sierra Nevada College, the only private four-year college in Nevada, keeps growing it is adding a continuing education program to its lineup.
Entrepreneurship Program Scope
Whether a student seeks to develop his or her entrepreneurial skill set in order to found and operate an independent commercial or non-profit enterprise, or develop entre-/intrapreneurial attributes for application within a corporate setting, Sierra Nevada’s entrepreneurship program is custom designed for superior educational development.
FACULTY & STAFF NEWS