Encouraging Entrepreneurship At HBCUs 4.27
Encouraging Entrepreneurship at Historically Black Colleges and UniversitiesEncouraging Entrepreneurship atHistorically Black Colleges and UniversitiesResearch TeamAmanda Washington Lockett, team leaderMarybeth GasmanNdeh “Will” AnyuJanelle L. WilliamsBrandy JonesKunal ParbadiaChris MotleyPartnersPage 1
Encouraging Entrepreneurship at Historically Black Colleges and Universities11The 2019 Guidant Financial State of Small Business Surveyreveals an uptick in the number of Black owned smallbusinesses over the last five years. Guidant Financial surveyedapproximately 2,700 Black small business owners and foundtrends that suggest both successes and opportunities forgrowth in regard to Black entrepreneurship. For example, while69% of Black business owners reported that their businessesare profitable, 39% of Black small business owners arechallenged by a lack of cash flow and capital to begin theirbusiness. As the Guidant Financial State of Small Businessreveals, African American business owners are growingincreasingly confident and feel more fulfilled while working forthemselves and creating business opportunities that align withtheir individual passions. As the number and impact of Blackowned businesses continues to increase, it is imperative thatHistorically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) continueto support the growth of their students who show an interest inentrepreneurship.11Source: ends/african-americans-in-business/This report is based on research funded in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The findingsPage 2and conclusions contained within are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positionsor policies of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Encouraging Entrepreneurship at Historically Black Colleges and UniversitiesWhat is the Mary Ellen Pleasant Entrepreneurship Program?During the 2019 Spring semester, the Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) announced itspartnership with award-winning mentorship-based social network, The Whether, to launch the MaryEllen Pleasant Entrepreneur (MEPE) Fellowship. According to CMSI and The Whether, the MEPEFellowship was created to teach entrepreneurship principles to students from Historically BlackColleges and Universities (HBCUs) and was part of a 775,000 Innovations in Career Advising grantfrom the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. During this one-year partnership, 25 MEPE fellows leddistribution, one of the most important entrepreneurial functions, at a career-advising startup to helptheir peers declare majors, prepare for interviews, and explore career paths. These fellows wereselected from a network of 17 HBCU partners with a collective population of more than 50,000students. The 10-week virtual fellowship coached students through a marketing-focused curriculumand challenged them to leverage their entrepreneurial skills discovered through The Whether’sscientifically-validated Clarity Assessment. Each fellow was encouraged to introduce their peers andHBCU communities to The Whether in order to build community around career interests and sharebest practices to maximize their potential.The fellows recommended that their peers complete The Whether's Clarity Assessment. Clarity is apersonality assessment that delivers insights to improve decision making, strengthen relationships,and find career paths. The goal was to help students identify their strengths and values and tounderstand the types of career paths where they would naturally perform the best.During the 10-week program, the fellows were responsible for introducing the assessment on campusto professors, student organizations, and peers. Per the grant, their main goal was to gather feedbackabout their peers’ experience with the assessment, while also experimenting with various businessprinciples to maximize their campus reach.The culmination of our research pointed to one conclusion. That being, mentorship is the number onedriver of young, Black adult’s access and visibility to opportunities. Particularly, opportunities thatthey otherwise would not be aware of related to their intended career path. This led The Whetherteam to develop a more focused experience in their social network product that allowed students ofcolor to connect with industry insiders who have similar backgrounds and goals in a mentorshipdriven environment.Page 3
Encouraging Entrepreneurship at Historically Black Colleges and UniversitiesWho was Mary Ellen Pleasant?Mary Ellen Pleasant was a very successful 19th-century AfricanAmerican entrepreneur, financier, real estate magnate, andabolitionist who identified as ‘a capitalist by profession’ in the 1890United States Census.Pleasant came from humble beginnings being born into slavery.Through smart investments and business dealings, and inpartnership with her husband, John James Pleasant, she amassed afortune estimated to be around 30 million dollars. She made activecontributions to the abolitionist movement and fought for civilrights in California. She also used her influence and wealth toemploy Black Americans and freed runaway slaves from the Underground Railroad using her variousbusinesses.She was well known in abolitionist circles and friend to and financial supporter of abolitionist JohnBrown. After the Civil War, she took her battles to the courts and won several civil rights victories, oneof which was cited and upheld in the 1980s and resulted in her being called “The Mother of HumanRights in California.”The MEPE Fellowship, named in her memory, embodies her vision, entrepreneurial spirit, and thedesire to leverage ones interests and passions when contributing to communities in meaningful ways.Through the MEPE Fellowship program, fellows were empowered to have a significant impact on theircampus and their related communities, as well as, an opportunity to showcase their entrepreneurialtalent.Page 4
Encouraging Entrepreneurship at Historically Black Colleges and UniversitiesTeaching Entrepreneurship in the HBCU CommunityThe U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency’s (MBDA) most recent2Fact Sheet states that Black-owned businesses account for nearly 9.4% of the nation’s businesses.Furthermore, the MBDA projects that:By 2044, the nation’s prosperity will rely even more on minorities, the fastest growing segmentof the population. Entrepreneurship is a sure pathway to wealth creation and a thriving nationaleconomy. Today, [all] U.S. minority business enterprises [MBE] represent 29% of all firms but only11% have paid employees. If MBEs were to obtain entrepreneurial parity, the U.S. economy wouldrealize 13 million more jobs (p.1).Opportunities, such as the MEPE Fellowship, encourage students to build their entrepreneurialacumen, as well as, the opportunity to connect with the executive team of The Whether. A coreprincipal of this Black-owned company, is to promote and teach the importance of businessknowledge and ownership.The goals of programs such as The Whether’s MEPE Fellowship, areThe MEPE Fellowshiphosted fellows from 17HBCUs across the country:Albany State UniversityBenedict CollegeBluefield State UniversityClaflin UniversityClark Atlanta UniversityDillard UniversityFayetteville State UniversityJackson State UniversityLangston UniversityMorgan State UniversityNorth Carolina A&T StateUniversityNorth Carolina CentralUniversityPaul Quinn CollegeSpelman CollegeStillman CollegeTennessee State UniversityXavier University of Louisianato help to increase the number of minority-owned businesses, fosterbusiness owners who will one day reach back through mentorship,and help to realize entrepreneurial parity within the Blackcommunity.Over the last two decades, there have been myriad programs andopportunities for HBCU students to learn about and engage inentrepreneurship. Efforts from the last few years include BlackEnterprise hosting the TechConneXt Summit and the BE SmartHackathon, as well as, the Thurgood Marshall Fund and OpportunityFunding Corp partnership to create the OFC Innovation andEntrepreneurship Conference. Corporations such as Google andAT&T have also contributed to efforts by creating access andopportunities for HBCU students to learn about careers in the techentrepreneurial space. Many of the 105 HBCU campuses havecreated curricula and programs to foster their students’ business andentrepreneurial growth, recognizing the need to equip burgeoningprofessionals with an entrepreneurial spirit and technical know-how.2 /files-attachments/MBDAVitaltoMakingAmericaGreat 170330.pdfPage 5
Encouraging Entrepreneurship at Historically Black Colleges and UniversitiesHow did Students Learn about the MEPE Fellowship?Students were introduced to The Whether and The MEPE Fellowship“I most enjoyed the lessonplans [of the program]. Ireally appreciated how[The Whether] gave us alesson plan each week to build our knowledge ofentrepreneurship and howit all works.”through their college’s career service administrators, by professors’recommendations, and through their institutions’ career serviceplatforms. In nearly all cases, students were urged to participate in theMEPE Fellowship program by administrative personnel and motivatedby the suggestion that they were a good fit for the fellowship. In fact,in one case, a student mentioned that the university presidentsuggested that she apply. In interviews conducted by CMSI, themajority of students revealed that they were interested in working with The Whether and the MEPEFellowship not only because someone on their campus believed in their entrepreneurial ability, butalso because of the opportunity to network with their peers. Particularly, around career interests andgoals holistically captured by the Clarity Assessment.During an interview about her interest in the MEPE Fellowship, one student shared, “I knew that this[The Whether Community] is something that has to get out there. If I’m this excited, I know other[students] will be excited. Especially those [students] that are struggling with what they want to do.”Many students also stated that they were very impressed by the Clarity Assessment results and feltthat their inclusion in spreading the assessment on their campus, coupled with their pre-existinginterests in entrepreneurship, would make for a valuable 10-week fellowship experience.Students shared that they were attracted to the flexibility of the MEPE’s paid 10-week virtualfellowship program design. Numerous students noted that theyapplied to the MEPE Fellowship because they believed the internshipwould give them the flexibility to gain entrepreneurial experience,while also remaining in their respective cities. Moreover, they couldcontinue to focus on their school work, as the fellowship did notrequire a large number of hours. Additionally, per the program’sdesign, students were highly motivated to connect with professors and“This fellowship openeddoors and a lot ofopportunities for me. I amhappy that I put this onthe radar for my schoolbecause there are a lot ofpeople who want to dothis after me.”senior leaders within their institutions and to assist their peers’ careerreadiness training. For the majority of selected students, the MEPEFellowship’s virtual design was unprecedented and allowed them to actively and positively engage inthe professional growth of their community while simultaneously garnering entrepreneurial skills thatthey felt would help their future business endeavors.Page 6
Encouraging Entrepreneurship at Historically Black Colleges and UniversitiesStudents’ Experiences with Entrepreneurship Before theMEPE FellowshipThe 2019 MEPE cohort was, on average, new to the entrepreneurial world. A small number ofmembers witnessed their parents or close relatives operate businesses throughout their childhood.The majority were not exposed to such businesses and independently became interested inentrepreneurship as a means to further their professional trajectories. Several students werepassionate about social issues that they believed could manifest into successful businesses andultimately desired to turn their passions into entrepreneurial endeavors.For example, one student noted, “One of my goals is to start a business in financial literacy doing theprogram has helped me understand how to structure my business Doing this program has shown mehow hard entrepreneurship is.”The Whether and CMSI Engagement with Students Duringthe MEPE FellowshipDuring the 10-week fellowship, students received virtual“None of the [otherpersonality assessments] havegiven me detail by detail listsof what I am. I love the factthat the Clarity Assessmentwent deeper I feel like theassessment went in a more indepth [detail] with how I canuse my personality traits.”mentorship from The Whether’s executive team. The Whetherdesigned the virtual cohort model around an online platform thatallowed fellows to engage with one another. Each fellow wasexpected to contribute to message threads on a MEPE studentportal, and participate in weekly check-ins and group chats. Theonline platform provided a central, virtual data and informationsharing space for the fellows to communicate ideas about theirindividual start-up growth efforts across their respective HBCUcampuses. By sharing best practices in start-up success, students were able to virtually engage withlike-minded, entrepreneurial-interested HBCU students across the 17 participating institutions.CMSI research associates interviewed participants before and after their fellowship participation togather insight from students’ about how the MEPE Fellowship shaped their interests inentrepreneurship, their exposure and reactions to challenges, their classmates’ impressions of theirmini start-ups, and their experiences as MEPE fellow virtual entrepreneurs working with an educationtechnology company.Page 7
Encouraging Entrepreneurship at Historically Black Colleges and UniversitiesHow did the MEPE Fellowship Shape Fellows’ CareerAspirations?At the end of their 10-week virtual fellowship, students reported that simulating the start-upexperience was much harder than they initially imagined, but that they enjoyed their fellowshipexperience. Multiple students noted considerable challenges in their strategies to garner buy-in fromtheir institutions and administrators.According to The Whether, the fellows’ start-up campaigns ultimately resulted in over 13,000interactions between The Whether and students across the 17 participating HBCU campuses.Additionally, across the 25 MEPE fellows, over 1000 students participated in the Clarity Assessmentand over 100 peers posted in their private MEPE learning community portal per week. For fellows, thismeant that they were able to fulfill the MEPE Fellowship goal of teaching their peers about thebenefits of joining a community of peers to learn from each other. By actively participating in amentoring and learning community, fellows were able to share their experiences as start-upentrepreneurs on their campuses and promotion of a small business.There have long been programs that help Historically Black College and University (HBCU) students tobuild their entrepreneurial acumen. For example, partnerships between the Association of Public andLand-grant Universities (APLU) Office for Access and Success, APLU’s Commission on Innovation,Competitiveness, and Economic Prosperity (CICEP), VentureWell (formerly NCIIA), the United StatesPatent and Trademark Office and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) resulted in the HistoricallyBlack Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Innovation and Entrepreneurship Collaborative (or HBCUCollaborative). The Capital Builders Center partnered with HBCUs in the District of Columbia toprovide a scholarship program focused on management and entrepreneurship for three area HBCUs.The 2019 partnership with rapper Big Sean, The Thurgood Marshall Fund, and Ally Financial,Incorporated created the innovative entrepreneurship program “Moguls in the Making.” There aremyriad programs, partnerships, and HBCUs that continue to instill entrepreneurial education withintheir students and in their curriculum.Page 8
Encouraging Entrepreneurship at Historically Black Colleges and UniversitiesAggregate Results of Clarity AssessmentClarity Assessment is built to identify three dominant Professional Values from nine values thatrepresent career related behavior of professionals based on their motivations, abilities andpersonality. By identifying the three most important, the Clarity Assessment is able to offer specific,relevant career insights. The values highlighted display the aggregate results of the dominant valuesfor the 25 Fellows. Other insights delivered in the 10-page report include Key Strengths, CautionAreas, Culture Preferences, Model Roles, Areas of Further Study, and leadership traits relating back tothese nine Professional Values.CategoryProfessional ValueClarity Assessment DefinitionThe ReformerEffecting ChangeEffecting Change is concerned with effecting change to things around it society, rules, policies, and government. Strongly held points of views,opinions and beliefs foster deep commitments and desire to influenceothers.The HelperHelping PeopleHelping People is concerned with reaching out and assisting others with aneed they have. Compassion and empathy create the impulse andcommitment to help and resolve issues for others.The EnthusiastMotivating OthersMotivating Others is concerned with motivation and showing enthusiasm soothers can be entertained and enjoy certain moments in their lives. Excitingdisplays of expression enables people to enjoy a break from their routines.Fostering CuriosityFostering Curiosity is concerned with analysis, determining underlyingreasons and facts. It becomes central to "dig deep" and discover root causesfor occurrences so as to answer questions and explain why and howsomething occurred.The AchieverSeeing the Big PictureSeeing the Big Picture is concerned with integrating findings into acollective understanding. Looking at a range of issues, finding patterns, andunderstanding impacts of alternative scenarios enables effect planning anddecision-making.The ChallengerTaking RisksThe LoyalistGetting Things DoneGetting Things Done is concerned with action, order, and accomplishment.Building and hands-on work create tangible results, efficiency, and practicalsense.TheIndividualistCreating New ThingsCreating New Things is concerned with thinking new ideas and sharingvisions through artistic means. Designing through innovation andinterpretation creates new products and unique works of art.Keeping PerspectiveKeeping Perspective is concerned with keen listening and watching out forbalance and ensuring people maintain a respect for life. A care for naturalorder necessitates observing to guard and protect our resources, peace,nature, and public spaces.The InvestigatorThePeacekeeperTaking Risks is concerned with generating sufficient energy to create adesired outcome or effect. Overcoming challenge and competing againstthe elements creates its own rewards of winning and achieving.Page 9
Encouraging Entrepreneurship at Historically Black Colleges and UniversitiesBelow are the top Key Strengths and Caution Areas of our MEPE fellows. Key Strengths are positivequalities that are readily seen by others. Fellows were advised that consciously using and capitalizingon their Key Strengths will lead to increased effectiveness in all aspects of their career. On the flipside, Caution Areas are natural outgrowths of Key Strengths. When these outgrowths become toostrong, they need to be “reined in.” The Clarity Assessment uses Caution Areas instead of weaknessesfor young professionals to be cautious of the negative aspects of their work style and effectively findways to improve.Key Strengths Change-oriented Kind-hearted Very inquisitiveKey Caution Areas Could be highly judgmental Ten
Entrepreneurship is a sure pathway to wealth creation and a thriving national economy. Today, [all] U.S. minority business enterprises [MBE] represent 29% of all !rms but only 11% have paid employees. If MBEs were to obtain entrepreneurial parity, the U.S. economy would
To define the entrepreneurship. To explain the significance of Entrepreneurship. To explain the Entrepreneurship Development. To describe the Dynamics of Entrepreneurship Development. 1.1 Need and significance of Entrepreneurship Development in Global contexts It is said that an economy is an effect for which entrepreneurship is the cause.
Public and Private Investments and Divestments in Historically Black Colleges and Universities 4 than private non-HBCUs (12 percent of their revenue compared with 9 percent). While public funds are the largest source of rev-enue for public institutions, private institutions are generally more tuition dependent (i.e., private
of HBCUs to provide the highest-quality education, aligned with U.S. education and economic priorities, to an increasing number of students. HBCU Competitiveness: The ability of HBCUs to successfully compete for public and private investments to meet student needs and promote community prosperity.
the American story for more than 180 years—academically, socially, and economically. Browse for a moment the. 180 years of excellence. by HBCUs, and do not miss the video by Henry Louis Gates Jr. HBCUs enroll about nine percent of Black undergraduates in the U.S., but they graduate a significantly
Investing in Economic Mobility: The Important Role of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs in Closing Racial and Wealth Gaps in Higher Education 2 edlabor.house.gov The role of these institutions has become even more important as our nation and our postsecondary education landscape have diversified. For example, after half a decade of declining enrollment, HBCUs
While they constitute only 3% of higher education institutions in the country, HBCUs educate 10% of all Black college students. The HBCU student population is currently over 75% Black. These institutions account for 19% of degrees earned by Black students in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields (U.S.
2019, Stillman has been living within its means. FALL OF 2020: THE NEW WORLD The pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement are drawing new attention among philanthropists to HBCUs. The momentum may spread to impact investors. Key players in Stillman College's development are optimistic that the Opportunity Zone development project adjacent to the
Grade 2 ELA Curricular Frameworks with ELL Scaffolds . Grade 2 Unit 2 Reading Literature and Reading Informational Unit 2: RL.2.1, RI.2.1, and WIDA Standards . Reading Literature and WIDA Standards Reading Informational Text and WIDA Standards Critical Knowledge and Skills WIDA Criterion RL.2.1. Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate .
