ACHE 2018 Concurrent Sessions
Forming a Campus Business Incubator to Support Credit and Non-credit Programming for Student and Community Entrepreneurs
Session Description
In 2014, the University of St. Francis opened a campus “Business Incubator” to support student and community entrepreneurs. The incubator is an innovative use of campus space, resources, and programming that supports the economic development of the region by fostering new business development and entrepreneurial education in a lab setting. The incubator provides a co-working environment between startups and entrepreneurial students. Programming includes a credit-based entrepreneurship degree for undergraduates and non-credit programming for the community. The session will share the model used to form the incubator, an overview of the incubator members and programming, partnerships formed and developed, and a description of the current members. The speaker wrote and implemented the business plan for the incubator and currently serves as the chair over operations of the space and programming.
Primary Presenter
Dr. Bonnie J. Covelli, University of St. Francis
Brief Bio
Dr. Bonnie J. Covelli serves as assistant professor and chair of the school of professional studies at the University of St. Francis (USF) in Joliet, Ill. She serves on the board for ACHE Great Lakes and the Illinois Council on Continuing Higher Education (ICCHE). Covelli’s background includes thirteen years in continuing higher education (both credit and non-credit) and domestic and international corporate experience in the hospitality and manufacturing industries in training & development, operations, project management, and relationship management. Covelli holds an Ed.D. in Interdisciplinary Leadership/Higher Education; M.B.A. Business Administration; M.S. in training and development and B.A. in English, minor urban studies.