A local university is getting ready to launch a new program focusing on social entrepreneurship.
The University of Dayton is prepping to launch the Herr Venture for Change Program to prepare students as entrepreneurs for the common good this fall.
The program will offer a nine-credit certificate in social entrepreneurship, which involves creating mission-based businesses that prioritize social impact alongside profits.
Students will launch social ventures and make contributions locally and globally. This includes summer partnerships with international nonprofits and ongoing collaborations with local entrepreneurs.
“This initiative aligns with the University’s Marianist mission to educate for service, justice and peace,” said Trevor Collier, dean of the School of Business Administration. "It will equip students with the necessary skills and experiences to become social entrepreneurs who believe their success, at least in part, is measured by the positive impact they have on society."
The program is created with a gift from Mike and Katie Herr. Mike Herr, an accounting alumnus and UD board member, and Katie Herr, an elementary education alumna and parent leadership council member, created a scholarship fund in 2018 and also help lead the We Soar campaign.
The program adds to the university’s entrepreneurship program, which is ranked in the top 50 nationally by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine.
Entrepreneurship students also launch micro-businesses; can win money and support for new ventures through Flyer Pitch, one of the largest business plan competitions at the collegiate level; act as angel investors; run one of the largest student-run corporations in the country; and direct a microlending program through Flyer Consulting.
The University of Dayton, which opened in 1850, has an undergraduate enrollment of 8,443 students and a total enrollment of 11,697.
