Snow president renews focus on entrepreneurship
Daniela Vazquez
Staff writer
11-24-2016
EPHRAIM — Snow College President Gary Carlston made a pledge last week to strengthen the college’s focus on promoting entrepreneurship.
Carlston made the pledge on Nov. 14 at the kickoff event for Snow’s Entrepreneurship Week, in partnership with the National Association of Community College Entrepreneurship, the nation’s leading organization in promoting entrepreneurship through community colleges.
“As we sign this pledge today, we’re committing the college to try and help students and the local economy to think about how, individually, all of us can do a little bit better to support creative thinking and opportunities that are out there,” Carlston said.
Through the pledge, presidents of community colleges nationwide commit to take five steps to encourage entrepreneurship and expand the impact colleges have on the economic well-being of the communities they serve.
The five steps are to develop transparency of community college and community assets; create internal and external teams dedicated to entrepreneurship; increase entrepreneurs’ engagement in community colleges; participate in industry collaboration; and encourage broad exposure to their college’s commitment to entrepreneurship.
Carlston said students who participate in the endeavor the college is supporting will have a profitable future.
More than 200 community colleges throughout the nation have signed the entrepreneurship pledge, committing to playing a greater role in stimulating economic development in the communities they serve.
“Snow College is committed to promoting entrepreneurship,” Carlston said. “Anyone anywhere can be an entrepreneur, and we encourage the spirit of innovation among our students, employees and communities.”
Snow will establish a college-wide Entrepreneurship Committee to spread innovation and problem solving into “every corner of the campus” and build strong relationships with academic entrepreneurship transfer programs, including the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute and the Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah.
“Just thinking as an entrepreneur can make an impact, so think creatively,” Carlston said. “We have more to come, and we invite others to join in this exciting initiative.”
