Source: Chad Jackson, 785-341-6423, cjackson@k-state.edu
Websites: http://www.varneys.com/KStateMade and http://bit.ly/Uy6AYM
Friday, Nov. 9, 2012
University taking part in week, month celebrating entrepreneurship
MANHATTAN -- Kansas State University will be participating in the world's largest celebration of entrepreneurship, Global Entrepreneurship Week, Nov. 12-18, as well taking part in National Entrepreneurship Month, which is during November.
"Kansas State University students and faculty are eager to celebrate the innovation, hard work and jobs created by entrepreneurs around the world," said Chad Jackson, associate director of the Center for Advancement of Entrepreneurship in the College of Business Administration.
As part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, Kansas State University will be launching K-State Made, which sells products made by university faculty, staff and students. The collaborative venture was made possible by the Center for Advancement of Entrepreneurship through the College of Business Administration and Varney's Bookstore, a local bookstore and university apparel retailer. The Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization, or CEO, spearheaded the cooperative project.
K-State Made will hold its official ribbon cutting and launch from 3:30-6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13, at the K-State Student Union Bookstore, which is operated by Varney's. At the launch, products from more than 20 K-State students and faculty members will be featured and available for purchase. Products include jewelry, handbags, photography, ceramics, apparel and more. In attendance will be representatives from Kansas State University's Venture Accelerator, which currently hosts 10 startup companies run by current students and young alumni.
More information on K-State Made is available at http://www.varneys.com/KStateMade.
As part of the celebration of entrepreneurship in November, the College of Business Administration's Distinguished Lecture Series will feature Manu Chandaria, the university's International Entrepreneur of the Year. Chandaria's lecture, sponsored by Commerce Bank and the William T. Kemper Foundation, will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27, in Forum Hall at the K-State Student Union. It is free and open to the public.
Chandaria, who is chairman and CEO of the Comcraft Group of Companies, also will meet with several student groups and make classroom visits to talk with aspiring entrepreneurs on campus.
The Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship offers an entrepreneurship major and a minor, which are open to students in all colleges. It also sponsors entrepreneurship competitions at the university and across Kansas, including The Next Big Thing, an annual entrepreneurial idea competition open to all students on the Manhattan campus, and Venture Kansas, a similar competition in western Kansas. The center received awards in 2011 and 2012 as an emerging program in entrepreneurship education. More information is available at http://www.k-state.edu/cecd/partnerships/entrepreneurship.html.
Global Entrepreneur Week was founded in 2008 to encourage existing and aspiring entrepreneurs to unleash innovative ideas, using the marketplace to improve lives and make their mark. Every state in the U.S. and 129 nations are participating in the week. National Entrepreneurship Month has been recognized annually by the White House since 2009.
