NIACC News Release
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July 25, 2003 NIACC Offers Degree, Certificate in EntrepreneurshipStarting in the fall semester of 2003, NIACC students will have the opportunity to earn an Associate in Science Degree (Business/Entrepreneurship) or a John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Certificate. These new academic programs will give NIACC students a boost toward entrepreneurial success and will help strengthen the entrepreneurial climate in North Iowa. This is the first entrepreneurial degree offering in the Iowa Community College system. The Associate in Science Degree (Business/Entrepreneurship) is a two-year, 60-credit hour curriculum which includes basic business, accounting, economics, communication and business law classes as well as three focused entrepreneurship courses; Introduction to Entrepreneurship, Managing the Entrepreneurial Venture, and a Seminar in Entrepreneurship. The John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Certificate program, which is 18 semester hours, includes the three entrepreneurship courses as well as a marketing, business, accounting, and elective course. According to Tim Putnam, Associate Director of the Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center, "Both the degree and certificate programs are new to the NIACC curriculum. We hope to help students who have an interest in entrepreneurship develop this interest throughout their college experience so they can successfully start their own business upon graduation." Blake Rayhons is one of the first students in the Associate in Science Degree (Business/Entrepreneurship) program. “I’ve always wanted to be my own boss,” Rayhons said. “I’ve worked for others and watched adults in 9 to 5 jobs, and I know I’d be happiest working for myself.” Rayhons, a 2002 graduate of Garner High School and 2002 Youth Entrepreneurial Camp participant, said he likes the fact that the entrepreneurial courses teach students about starting their own business and being successful. After completing his degree, Rayhons plans to join other family members in Arizona and to open a nightclub. Scholarships for Students with Entrepreneurial Interests Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Scholarships are now available to NIACC students involved in entrepreneurial courses. There are three types of scholarships:
Scholarship applicants are evaluated on the basis of financial need, high school or college grade point average, and a narrative regarding the student’s interest in entrepreneurship. Scholarship applications are being accepted now and are available from the NIACC Financial Aid Office. For more information, please contact Tim Putnam at the NIACC Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center at 641-422-4111 or putnatim@niacc.edu. The Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center is located on the North Iowa Area Community College campus in Mason City, Iowa, and provides college level courses and degree programs in entrepreneurship, as well as consulting services for business start-ups and existing industries in the North Iowa region. The Center also provides FastTrac training programs for beginning companies and existing companies. ##### Ref. PEC200300725 |
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