Case Studies

Unleashing the Problem-Solving Potential of Every Individual   Location: Victorville, California Number of employees: 850 Annual unduplicated student headcount: 18,000 Racial and ethnic demographics: 61% Hispanic, 18% white, 9% Black Students whose enrollment fees are paid via financial aid: 87%   OVERVIEW: A light bulb went on when Dr. Dan Walden heard entrepreneurship described as the self-directed pursuit of opportunities to create value for others. As the Superintendent and President at Victor Valley College, Walden…

Infusing a Small-Business Focus at a Self-Described Entrepreneurial University   Location: Denver, Colorado Number of undergraduate students: 16,400 Average age: 25  Percent who work while pursuing their education: 80% Number of majors: 90+ Number of certificate programs: 40 Center for Entrepreneurship established: 2020   OVERVIEW: One of the words that the Metropolitan State University of Denver uses to describe itself on its website is entrepreneurial: “We don’t settle for walking well-worn trails. We reimagine what…

Learning Entrepreneurship By Living It in Minnesota’s Twin Cities     Location: St. Paul, Minnesota Number of staff: 192 Number of full-time faculty: 127 Number of part-time faculty: 109  Student enrolled for credit: 8,365 Students enrolled in non-credit courses: 2,206    Certificate, degree, and diploma programs: 100+   OVERVIEW: Saint Paul College stands out within the Minnesota State system for its unique demographics. It’s one of the most diverse schools among the system’s 26 colleges, 7…

EnRich Program Brings a Trauma-Sensitive Lens to Entrepreneurship Education   Location: Decatur, Illinois Enrollment in 2019 (credit and non-credit): 5,435 Part-time students: 73% Continuing education students: 36%    Number of EnRich training program participants since 2018: 1,500   OVERVIEW: In central Illinois’ Macon County, the unemployment rate for African Americans sticks stubbornly at around three times higher than the rate for white residents. Recognizing that the reasons for this extended beyond the sheer number of unemployed,…

Fab Lab ICC Makes a Big Impact in a Small Community     Location: Independence, Kansas Fab Lab ICC launch: March 2014  Total visitors: 35,000  Size: 15,000 square feet    Entrepreneurial Mindset course: Offered once per year   OVERVIEW: In rural southeastern Kansas, agriculture and manufacturing dominate the local economy. However, there are still vestiges of the hard adjustments that residents had to make as coal mining and oil industry jobs disappeared several decades ago. The…

Prompting a Powerful Shift in Mindset to Spark Small Business Startups Location: Kansas City, Missouri Number of new businesses in 2021: 57  Amount of increased sales in 2021: $28.5 million  Number of participants in most recent Entrepreneurial Mindset Training: 18    OVERVIEW: People reach out for a wide range of services from the Missouri Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Some have an idea for a startup but aren’t sure…

The Evolution of a Pioneering Entrepreneurial Mindset Program   Location: Overland Park, Kansas Number of degree-seeking students: 16,000  Number of continuing education students: 12,000    Years offering entrepreneurial mindset courses: 15   OVERVIEW: The metro Kansas City area straddles two states, Missouri and Kansas. It is home to a wide range of industries, neighborhoods, and populations. Johnson County Community College, located on the Kansas side in the state’s wealthiest county, attracts a diverse cross-section of students…

Entrepreneurial Mindset as a Tool for Persevering After Incarceration Location: Northampton, Massachusetts  Number of employees trained in Ice House facilitation: 10 Number of inmates in the facility: 120 Participants per session: 6-8   OVERVIEW: Because promoting reintegration is central to the mission of the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Department, educational programming is a high priority. The typical sentence length in its correctional facility is two and a half years. During that time, the department encourages and…

Mindset as the First Step to Small Business Success Location: Hillsborough County, Florida Number of consultants: 5 Number of subject matter experts: 8 Number of workshops in the first six months of 2022: 100+ Total number of people who attended: 1,300  Number who complete each 8-session Ice House series: 10-12 Number who have completed the 39-hour Self-Employment Workshop Program since it launched in 2021: 30    OVERVIEW: Each year, thousands of Tampa-area entrepreneurs and small…