FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 23, 2008

MUW offering entrepreneurship concentration

By Jill D. O’Bryant

COLUMBUS, Miss. -- According to the United States Small Business Administration, more people are entering entrepreneurial or small business ventures every year, and Mississippi University for Women is doing its part to help new and future entrepreneurs be more successful by offering a concentration in entrepreneurship for business majors pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

“This is a hot field right now,” said Dr. Dee Larson, associate professor of marketing and management. “Small businesses are what is growing the economy across the country and Mississippi is no different. In particular, North Mississippi is starting to boom, and small businesses will be the driving force in that growth. So, this program should be of great interest to many.”

MUW and Jackson State University are the only two public universities in the state offering complete concentrations in entrepreneurship.

Larson said the purpose of MUW’s entrepreneurship program is to provide students with an education that prepares them to start their own businesses, work in family or other growing companies or pursue employment in traditional business settings.

“Many people have thought about starting their own business,” she said. “However, the failure rate of new businesses is very high. Small businesses fail not from a lack of hard work but from the inability to understand the basics of entrepreneurship.

“It takes more than good intentions, dedication and great ideas to succeed in small business. It also requires knowledge of best small business practices.”

The program will include education in everything from tax liability and accounting methods to finding capital and employee benefit plans. Students will learn how to hire the best employees and motivate them to work effectively and efficiently, to market and price products and services, to improve cash flow and to minimize expenses.

Students completing this major will have the skills to recognize opportunity, develop a business concept, determine its feasibility and write a comprehensive business plan.

In addition, entrepreneurship students will participate in an internship program that will allow them to apply their knowledge by working with potential startups and existing businesses in the community.

The College of Business will be working closely with the Women’s Center for Entrepreneurship with regards to placement of internship students into appropriate businesses.

The Women’s Center for Entrepreneurship is funded by a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). SBA’s funding should not be construed as an endorsement of any products, opinions or services. All SBA-funded projects are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.

For more information about MUW entrepreneurship program, please contact Larson at dlarson@muw.edu, 662-329-7152, or visit www.muw.edu/business .