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Title: Fostering Leaders in Technology Entrepreneurship (FLiTE): Second Year Progress
The NSF S-STEM-funded program titled Fostering Leaders in Technology Entrepreneurship (FLiTE) hosted by the School of Engineering+Technology at Western Carolina University has now completed its second year of operation. The program aims to create graduates who bring impactful contributions to industry employers or create new businesses with their own original technology innovations. FLiTE has continued its mission to cultivate entrepreneurial and growth oriented thinking among financially needy engineering and technology students. With the first and second-year classes aboard, the program currently serves eighteen students. Program activities for the 2023 calendar year included the induction of a newly recruited class, connection with campus resources and veteran entrepreneurs, and scholar participation in a formal pitch development course. Pre- and post-year surveys were completed by the scholars to characterize personal perceptions of their initial and developing aptitudes toward the entrepreneurial mindset. This paper describes the cohort teaming sessions, invited speakers, informal and formal pitch presentations, and survey results from the fall 2022 and spring 2023 semesters. Summary results show improvement in scholar perceptions of entrepreneurial dimensions entrepreneurial targeted by program interventions. Findings from these activities may inform the curriculum at Western Carolina University and the content of similar entrepreneurship programs.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2130326
PAR ID:
10567435
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
ASEE
Date Published:
Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
NSF, Scholarship Program, Entrepreneurship, Project Based Learning (PBL), Learning Community, Entrepreneurial Mindset, Engineering, Engineering Technology
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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