Best of the Week 2019-2020: Teaching to the Future

REVAMPED ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM ADDS NEW COURSE OFFERINGS AND INVESTMENT CLUB

Mr. Bob Schenosky, one of St. Ed's newest faculty members, joins the St. Ed's community as Director of Entrepreneurial Solutions, Entrepreneurship teacher and moderator of the new Investment Club. Over the summer, Mr. Schenosky met with several university Entrepreneurship Department heads, asking what an ideal student for their university's entrepreneurship programs would look like. The majority stated that a college-level entrepreneurial student should have the ability to think outside the box and to holistically observe a situation and utilize innovative thinking to find solutions. This is exactly what Mr. Schenosky is teaching in St. Ed's Entrepreneurship program. "As I have explained to my students, my goal is to drive critical, innovative thinking that they can apply to any major field of study that they choose to pursue. We are not simply developing inventors at St. Ed's, but rather critical thinkers and leaders," says Mr. Schenosky.

Nearly 150 Edsmen are taking St. Ed's introductory Business and Entrepreneurship course this year. One of their first projects of the year encourages students to look at problems that are connected to subjects they're passionate about and then turn that problem into an opportunity to solve it. "We are barely two weeks in and I couldn't be happier with my students' ability to think innovatively," says Mr. Schenosky. "While they use their expanded skills in their classwork, we are also working on plans outside the classroom, including planning student-run business opportunities and student internships with local businesses." Building upon the original footprint of St. Ed's Entrepreneurship program, Mr. Schenosky has worked with administrators and staff at St. Ed's to offer an Entrepreneurship Concentration that will provide students with a specific sequence of courses in accounting, business economics, finance, legal structure, marketing, social entrepreneurship and data analytics.

With Mr. Schenosky's background in investments, he was a natural fit to serve as St. Ed's new Investment Club moderator. Working twenty years in equity research and leading a global group of equity research professionals in over fifteen countries, Mr. Schenosky also worked with many governments in the privatization of state-owned companies that went public through the IPO process, including China, South Korea and several countries in South America. "I believe an Investment Club is a great way to pass on my professional experiences while giving students a foundation for investing as they grow into adults." The Investment Club has received an initial funding of $15,000 that Mr. Schenosky hopes to expand to hold a broader group of equities and increase student participation. "The Investment Club funding will mirror a mutual fund. I think it's important for students to have the opportunity to invest real money, rather than just participate in a contest which many schools already do. This investing behavior is unrealistic and students tend to take positions in high risk equities since there are no consequences," says Mr. Schenosky. "Knowing real money is on the line, our students can take more realistic approaches while gaining more knowledge about companies and industries and taking on roles as financial analysts." With a focus on holistic thinking, a common theme that runs through entrepreneurship and investing, the goal of the Entrepreneurship program is for students to have a solid understanding of business and entrepreneurship, to become innovative thinkers who don't accept the status quo and to ensure that students have the tools to excel in their future business, investing and entrepreneurial endeavors.