April 2019

ANNUAL SUMMIT CONCLUDES WITH FOCUS ON ACTION

The Babson Collaborative held its Annual Global Summit in Cairo, Egypt, March 17-20. Thank you to the American University in Cairo (AUC) for hosting us! The Summit brought together 29 participants from 16 member universities. Our agenda was rich with opportunities for networking, learning, and play! Check out the photo gallery below for selected highlights from the Summit. For this edition of the Field Notes, we are sharing major outcomes from the Summit. From the Listening Session held on day three, the Academy Team received feedback and suggestions on a number of operational improvements that we are exploring. These include: increasing clarity and transparency related to the points system and awards; holding webinars at different times to accommodate a range of time zones; and improved search capability on the Portal. As we moved from listening to action planning, attendees collectively identified three priorities for the year ahead. For each, a working group was established with a member champion stepping up to convene others, drive the initiative, and provide progress updates to the community.

COLLABORATIVE WORKING GROUPS: Collective Content Course Creation: This group will be creating open source course materials, local cases and activities that will be available for all Collaborative members. Champion: Colleen Foster of the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF). Analysis of Assessment Measures: This group will identify existing tools used to measure the impact of entrepreneurship education. Champion: Maripier Tremblay of Université Laval.  Communications & Resources: This group will evaluate platforms members are currently using to share news and to access Collaborative resources. Champion: Paola Corona Gutierrez of Universidad de Guadalajara. Look for updates in future Fieldnotes.

2019 COLLABORATIVE AWARDS

At the Summit, we honored Collaborative Award recipients, FLAME University and Université Laval for there exemplary efforts to advance entrepreneurship education at their institutions.

Collaborative Spotlight Award

Université Laval (Quebec City, Canada) received the Spotlight Award, accepted by Maripier Tremblay, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Business Administration and Scientific Director of Université Laval. The Spotlight Award is presented annually to a Collaborative member institution for a particular innovation in entrepreneurship education that is making a significant impact.   Université Laval received the award in recognition of the successful launch two years ago and subsequent impact of its Entrepreneurship Academy. This Academy assists students and alumni to launch and grow high potential businesses with the support of the highly regarded Université Laval staff and has resulted in the creation of twenty-six businesses to date. Pictured are (L-R): Heidi Neck (Babson) and Maripier Tremblay (Laval)

Collaborative Member of the Year Award FLAME University (Pune, India) received the Member of the Year Award, accepted by Darshan Doshi ‘M13, Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.  The Member of the Year Award is presented annually to the Collaborative member institution most active in the following categories: faculty development; student engagement; affiliation and networking; strengthening intellectual vitality; and entrepreneurial commitment. Pictured are (L-R): Heidi Neck (Babson) and Darshan Doshi (FLAME)

2020 SUMMIT HOST APPLICATION

This year, we are inviting Collaborative Summit hosts from the past 2-3 years to join the Academy team as we review the host expectations and evaluate applications based on transparent selection criteria. After the group convenes, we will share the application timeline and process.

FAREWELL & GRATITUDE

The Babson Academy expresses our sincere gratitude to Tom Simon and Michael Bruny for their countless contributions to the Collaborative and to Babson College. As one of the co-founders of the Collaborative, Tom’s vision and execution were instrumental in bringing us all together. As community manager, Mike has not only contributed technical expertise that has added to the success of the Collaborative, he has brought us together as a community with his words, enthusiasm, and warmth. We wish them the very best in their future endeavors.

Questions about the Collaborative? Please contact Jamie Kendrioski, Director of the Babson Collaborative & Babson Build at jkendrioski@babson.edu or +1.781.239.5506.

SELECTED 2019 SUMMIT HIGHLIGHTS

Group photo during the pre-Summit excursion to the Giza Plateau. Heidi Neck (Babson) and Darshan Doshi (FLAME) with the Sphinx; Amir Reza (Babson) and Lucia Egea (EDEM) take a ride to gain the best vantage point.

DAY 1

The Summit opened with a warm welcome from Tarek Hatem, professor of Entrepreneurship and Strategy and director of the Entrepreneurship division at AUC.

Bertarelli Foundation Distinguished Professor of Family Entrepreneurship at Babson College, Bill Gartner presented a lecture on the topic, Differentiating Entrepreneurial Families and Family Entrepreneurship.

Dean of the Babson Academy and Global Education at Babson, Amir Reza moderated a panel discussion on incubators, accelerators, and entrepreneurship centers. Panelists were (L-R): Sofhia Harbs (FACENS), Darshan Doshi (FLAME), Ayman Ismail (AUC), Carlos Verula (UDD).

The group shares laughs on the bus ride to dinner. In the front are (L-R): Sing Huang (SolBridge) and Colleen Foster (AUAF).

DAY 2

Jeffry A. Timmons Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies and Academic Director of the Babson Academy, Heidi Neck led a panel discussion on curriculum integration of entrepreneurship education. Panelists were (L-R): Paola Corona Gutierrez (Guadalajara), Ajay Batra (Bennett), and Jose Manuel Aguirre Guillen (Tec de Monterrey).

Host faculty shared challenges and successes with entrepreneurship and innovation at AUC. Panelists were (L-R): Ali Awni, Nellie El Enany, Nizar Becheikh, Hakim Meshreki, and Ashraf Sheta.

DAY 3

Amir Reza and Jamie Kendrioski (Babson) led an interactive session on developing a global mindset for entrepreneurship education.

The Summit closed with a celebratory dinner where award recipients were honored. (L-R): Tom Simon (Babson), Lissette Salgado (CETYS), Paola Corona Gutierrez (Guadalajara), Carlos Verula (UDD), Maripier Tremblay (Laval). CHEERS TO A GREAT YEAR AHEAD!