Syracuse University

Enitiative (the Syracuse Campus-Community Entrepreneurship Initiative) has awarded funding for
53 new projects centered on neighborhoods, arts and culture, and technology that connect campus
and community through entrepreneurship. Funding for the projects is part of a $3 million, five-year
grant awarded to Syracuse University by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City,
Mo., as part of its Kauffman Campuses initiative. The foundation's vision is to foster a society of
economically independent individuals who are engaged citizens, contributing to the improvement
of their communities.

Among the projects, Michael Kelleher and Neal Abrams from the SUNY College of
Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) have been awarded an Enitiative grant to
develop a green energy cooperative. Scientists from SUNY-ESF and business students from
SU's Whitman School of Management will develop a business to deliver biodiesel to SU and
SUNY-ESF made from waste oils from the campuses.

"We are excited to help SUNY-ESF and SU students develop a Green Energy Cooperative
that will deliver environmental benefits to our campuses," says Kelleher, director of
renewable energy systems at SUNY-ESF. "We think that the experience of science and
business students working together will foster understanding and teamwork in their future
careers."

Joanna Spitzner, assistant professor in SU's College of Visual and Performing Arts, and
Natalia Mount, managing director of the Redhouse Arts Center, have been awarded an
Enitiative grant to create Redhouse Arts Radio.

Redhouse Arts Radio will use the latest trends in Internet technology to become more
sustainable by broadening its reach into the local and global community. The radio station
will deliver an MP3 stream and podcast archive of music, discussion, documentaries, theater,
literature and audio art. Its programming will be developed with existing businesses, cultural
and community groups in Syracuse, as well as through curriculum connections at SU. Le
Moyne College students have been involved in the planning process and will continue to
work on the creation and implementation of this new venture.

"The Kauffman funding has enabled us to fund great faculty and community members with
great ideas," says Bruce Kingma, associate provost for entrepreneurship and innovation at
SU. "Faculty and students at the six Central New York Kauffman campuses have shown
they are willing to connect with entrepreneurial and innovative organizations to make a
difference. We will see the fruits of these efforts for years to come."

Among the other projects being funded:

• Geoffrey Navias, artistic director of Open Hand Theater, will work with Le Moyne
  faculty and students to develop a Mask and Puppet Cultural Heritage Library
  through Open Hand Theater.
  

  
  

• Steven Keeler, professor at Cayuga Community College, will create the C3 Studios
  Initiative in which students will learn the business of running an independent video
  and film production and distribution company.
  

  
  

• Carol Hill, of the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, will work with Larry
  Bennett and Craig Watters, faculty from the Whitman School, to develop a Family
  Business Center. The center will develop strategies and policies to perpetuate family
  ownership while advancing those strategies necessary for success, such as business
  planning, organizational structure, management practices and succession planning.
  

  
  

• Onondaga Community College (OCC), Child Care Solutions, the Small Business
  Development Center and the Children's Learning Center at OCC will help students
  preparing for careers in early childhood education develop the entrepreneurial skills
  they will need to creatively respond to the unique challenges of the field and adapt to
  evolving, diverse child care needs within our communities.
  

  
  

• Morrisville State College and the SCORE Association of Madison County are
  collaborating in an effort to expand entrepreneurship in the community. The project
  includes a boot camp for SCORE members, an entrepreneurial video toolkit and
  consulting projects for students at Morrisville State College in the entrepreneurship
  and small business management degree program. These efforts will help to further
  the skills of SCORE members, expose entrepreneurship students to real
  entrepreneurs, and create entrepreneurial projects for future entrepreneurs.
  

  
  

• Michael D'Eredita, professor of practice in SU's School of Information Studies, and
  Nasir Ali, vice president of the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, will co-
  teach "Technology Entrepreneurship" at the Syracuse Technology Garden. The
  course takes young technology entrepreneurs from SU and enables them to take
  their first step by offering them both the education and resources necessary to be
  successful in Central New York.
  

Descriptions of all of the funded projects can be viewed on the Enitiative website
(http://www.entrepreneurship.syr.edu).

The next deadline for Enitiative proposals is July 1, 2009. To apply for a grant, visit
www.entrepreneurship.syr.edu or contact the ExCEL Center at Syracuse University at (315) 443-
7086 or excel@syr.edu.