From San Diego State University April 20-22nd 120 entrepreneurship educators from many countries came together at the Lavin Entrepreneurship Center on the campus of San Diego State University this week. It was a special event in that Dr. Alex DeNoble, the chair of the department and founder of the CEEC, California Entrepreneurship Educators Conference, will retire this fall after forty years of entrepreneurship education leadership. Alex is a past President of both the USASBE, U. S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship and the ICSB, International Council for Small Business, major organizations. Many of his senior colleagues were in attendance as a tribute to Alex and his many contributions, Drs. Michael Morris, Notre Dame University, Ted Zoller, North Carolina University, Ray Combs, Washington State University, Michael Grimshaw, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Wade Halvorson, Deakin University Australia, Jeff Hornsby, University of Missouri, Jill Kickul University of Southern California, Francisco Velez-Torres, CETYS University Mexico, Olusiji Lasekan, Universidad Catolica de Temuco, Chile, Hsing-Er Lin, Sun Yat-Den University,Taiwan, Julie Shields, CEO USASBE, Mike Still, Cal State San Bernardino, and David Taylor, Manchester Metropolitan University.
Following pre-conference visits to the Lavin and ZIP incubators on campus and a trip to Baja California for visits to agricultural entrepreneurs, well designed keynote addresses, social entrepreneurship, teaching cases, use of games and puzzles, motivating learners, use of IMPROV to improve classroom focus and participation, extension of community engagement, tactics in lean startup methodologies, female and youth entrepreneurship, high school and community college entrepreneurship, co-teaching lessons, San Diego urban poverty business initiative, and promotion of mindset for innovations and opportunity sessions provided diverse classes. Selective content included IMPROV for breaking the ice, on the spot creative solutions, and fostering innovations. Your editor gave a talk on motivation in entrepreneurship education making the case the intrinsic, meaning doing an activity for inherent satisfaction, leads to greater learning and student fulfillment. It is human nature to desire autonomy and self-determination so that allowing students to determine their own path improves the quality of startup ventures.
The Lavin Center housed in the Engineering and Interdisciplinary building is two adjoining spaces, one the Lavin incubator with team work tables and classrooms while another side is the ZIP makers space with state-of-the-art printing, laser and creative equipment to produce prototypes from collaborative team designs.