Description
On this outline relating to center for entrepreneurship in liberal education at beloit.
Empowering students to gain
fulfilling lives, marked by high
achievement and public contri-
bution, through imparting the
skills of successful venturing
in all its forms.
CELEB
437 E. Grand Avenue
Beloit, WI 53511
608-361-6611
www.beloit.edu/celeb
CELEB is an entrepre-
neurship center and program.
Composed of a business
incubator, a cable access
television studio, a music
recording studio, an art gal-
lery, a foundation office, and a
video post-production studio,
CELEB serves the students of
Beloit College in their entre-
preneurial ventures in both
business and the arts.
Center for Entrepreneurship in Liberal Education at Beloit
At the college’s urging to mark our tenth
anniversary as a center, CELEB is in the midst of a
self-study which entails a survey of alumni (coming
soon), a detailed report, and an external review by
experts in the field of entrepreneurship education. In
May (pictured from right) Jeff Cornwall of Belmont
University and Dick Lucier’64, Professor Emeritus of
Denison University, spent two busy days meeting
students, faculty, staff, and alumni to determine the
impact of CELEB and make suggestions.
Among their comments was the following
observation, “The Entrepreneurship Fellows Program
at Beloit is already one of the best in the country, as
observed by Dr. Cornwall. CELEB is poised to be-
come a national model program for liberal arts colleg-
es committed to entrepreneurship education.”
John Hughes, Chairman Emeritus of the
Coleman Foundation and one of the founding part-
ners of CELEB, returned to Beloit in April to speak
to Morello’85’s Introduction to Entrepreneurship
class, enjoy a reception, and meet two recipients
of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award named in
his honor (see page 2). His messages to students
emphasized goal setting and the propensity toward
action.
Hughes, a self-proclaimed delinquent and
high school dropout, was drafted by the Cubs’ mi-
nor league team as a teenager. After serving in the
82nd Airborne as a paratrooper in World War II, his
love of math led him to become a CPA, and he
eventually came to run Fannie May Candy. He
later presided over the Coleman Foundation and
more recently The Hughes Foundation.
The event was attended by Michael Hen-
nessy, current President of the Coleman Founda-
tion, Jonathan Hennessy, Hughes’ grandson, Kim
Bliss of Hendricks Holding, Dennis Connerton of
the Beloit Snappers, Paul Kerr of the Beloit Histori-
cal Society, Jim Franz of the Beloit Daily News,
Jerry Gustafson Founder of CELEB, as well as
many other students, faculty, staff and community
members who appreciate Hughes’ contributions to
Beloit College and to the field of entrepreneurship.
Reviewers discuss outcomes at dinner with students, staff, and
alumni of CELEB.
Above: Students & community gather for VIP reception with Hughes.
Cover Photo from left: John Hughes, Jerry Gustafson, & Brian Morello
4 CELEB Summer 2015
Entrepreneurship classes hosted several speakers in
the 2014 –15 school year including Tim Leslie’89 of Amazon,
Ken Muth’91 of Muth Corporation, Erica Sass of Northeast
College Prep Charter School, Gregory Roy, Dave Hen-
dricks’64, John Hughes (Featured on page 1, Chairman
Emeritus of the Coleman Foundation), Greg Meier of the
Global Entrepreneurship Collective, Alex Linebrink (founder of
GoPassage.com and participant in gener8tor), and author
Madeleine Roux’08 (pictured right).
Roux, a New York Times Best-Selling Author of
young adult horror, agreed to visit Beloit classes after a
speaking engagement at SEA, where she spoke about social
media and the importance of knowing your audience. Roux
advised Warren Palmer’s economics classes about the busi-
ness of selling books, getting started as an author, and living
in Los Angeles. Roux also stayed on for a book signing at the
college’s Turtle Creek Bookstore.
Ellery Addington
-White’15, a Computer
Science major, won the
2014-15 John E.
Hughes Entrepreneur
of the Year Award. The
Hughes Award, named
to honor the Chairman
Emeritus of the Cole-
man Foundation, goes
to the student who best
contributes to the spirit
of entrepreneurship
within academe.
The award rec-
ognizes students who
launch their own ven-
tures and who share
the fun and learning of
the effort. This year,
Addington-White
earned the prize for his
illustration and collabo-
ration in the healthcare
coding publication
Struck by Orca, which
has produced more
than $60,000 in reve-
nue. He has also been
a key player at CELEB
as the VentureWell In-
novation Fellow, intern,
and a leader in the Ar-
duino Robotics group.
As a kickoff to the Fall semester, CELEB
held its third annual New Venture Night during the
first week of classes. Formerly known as a Hacka-
thon, New Venture Night continues the ethos of
“Start your venture in one night.” This year the
evening proved to be an effective way to introduce
the basics of venturing and boost excitement
about entrepreneurship. New Venture Night’s
“launch” theme has become a signature of CE-
LEB, encouraging students to get outside the
norms and take action on things they care about.
The August event brought in guest col-
laborators from the incubator 100 State and EPIC
Systems to provide first hand expertise as the
students considered their venture ideas. A mix of
new and established entrepreneurs attended and
formed networks that helped get the semester off
to a fast start.
Students who attended New Venture
Night routinely find their way back to CELEB dur-
ing the semester to get business counseling and
do more comprehensive work.
Having legal counsel eventually becomes
a key ingredient for every startup. That advice will
now be available to students at CELEB through a
collaboration with University of Wisconsin-
Madison, a top ranked law school. The Law & En-
trepreneurship Clinic, was formed in 2010 by co-
founders Anne Smith and Eric Englund.
Attorneys supervise a group of first and
second year UW law students. Being retained as
counsel by the entrepreneurship student’s venture,
the law students practice real and material matters
of law. The relationship established between the
parties allows CELEB students to recognize the
impact of legal matters germane to their ventures.
2 CELEB Summer 2015
Madeleine Roux spoke at the SEA Conference, lead-
ing to a Beloit campus visit.
Students and Coleman Fellows listen to pitches for New Ven-
tures at New Venture Night.
Addington-White’15 accepts John Hughes Award at
Honors Day Ceremony. Pictured from Left (Dean &
Provost Ann Davies, Ellery Addington-White, Presi-
dent Scott Bierman, and Dean of Students Christina
Klawitter’98.
UW Law students and Advising Attorneys hold clinic in CELEB.
CELEB Summer 2014 3
SEA, CEO, Lake
FX Conferences
Inspire Beloiters
More than 40 stu-
dents attended entrepre-
neurship-related confer-
ences this year. The two
primary conferences,
CEO (Collegiate Entrepre-
neurs’ Organization) and
SEA (Self-Employment in
the Arts), which was co-
founded by Jerry Gus-
tafson’63 and celebrated
its 14th anniversary this
year, are both Coleman
Foundation supported
events.
At SEA, 33 Beloit
students popped into
seminars on everything
from pricing art to social
media and more. Contrib-
uting to the conference
were Palmer & Morello
who spoke at a panel on
micro-finance, a dance
troupe led by Coleman
Fellow Gina T’ai, and the
long-standing comedy
group Voodoo Barbie.
Four students
also scouted the new
Lake FX Summit in down-
town Chicago. Lake FX is
a free conference spon-
sored by Google that fo-
cuses on creative profes-
sionals and entrepre-
neurs. This year the sum-
mit featured film and mu-
sic showcases as well as
a marketplace for local
artisans.
Kristen McNeill’16, a edu-
cation major, organized and facili-
tated the annual Project EASY,
Entrepreneurship and Self-
employment for Youth workshop.
Not only did entrepreneurship edu-
cation reach Stateline middle-
schoolers, but the event sparked
inspiration for further community
outreach.
In March students from
CELEB facilitated a similar work-
shop for a small group of Fresh
Start High School Students at
Community Action Center. Lead by
McNeill, the team worked one-on-
one with youth to discover how the
talents and skills they have right
now can help them make money in
the immediate future. Using the
mantra “Small, simple, fast,” Fresh
Start students came up with ide-
as tailored to their individual
strengths. “The goal is to give
them something sustainable—as
in skills, attitudes, and experi-
ence they can use, but also show
them how to use those skills to
start a business right now. We
hope they come out of this with a
new way of thinking about their
potential,” said McNeill.
“I feel motivated. ...I can
put all the pieces together to start
doing what I want to do,” said
Chris Rowley, a Fresh Start stu-
dent whose ambition is to start a
motivational speaking series and
afterschool program.
The possibilities for entre-
preneurship to empower youth
seems to be catching on in the
wider community. CELEB has
been approached by the Merrill
Community Center, requesting an
entrepreneurship based after-
school program, and a Beloit alum
has requested consultation about
starting an entrepreneurship-based
charter school.
In February BATV and Galley ABBA hosted
filmmakers from The Beloit International Film Festival
as the official hospitality spot in Downtown Beloit. As
hosts, CELEB also showed a documentary—Hairy
Who & The Chicago Imagists—about the art in Chica-
go during the 1960’s. Movie-goers viewed the film in
the studio of Beloit Access Television. After the show-
ing Morello’85 invited guests and filmmakers to his
home to view his collection of Chicago Imagist art.
BIFF culminated with a WCLO live broadcast from Gal-
lery ABBA to highlight the final weekend of the festival.
After more
than 10 years Dave
Knutson retired from
teaching broadcasting
at BATV. His contribu-
tion to CELEB — stu-
dents well versed in
broadcasting—sets the
stage for stronger con-
tent oriented ventures
in the future. His collaboration with
Jerry Gustafson innovated the
possibility for college and commu-
nity to come together through TV.
Knutson is succeeded by
new station producer, Keith Urban
and Media Studies Fellow, Aaron
Gurlly.
Other changes include
the appointment of Diep Phan, an
Economics professor, as the Cole-
man Chair of Entrepreneurship.
Warren Palmer remains committed
to teaching entrepreneurship, as
well as continuing to Chair The
Upton Forum.
CELEB also welcomes
Meghan M.M. Trimm as the new
Program Coordinator.
CELEB Summer 2015 3
McNeill (white hat), CELEB volunteers & Fresh Start
students break the ice at an entrepreneurship workshop.
Gallery ABBA students attend SEA. From left: Dena
Winter’15, Carly Newman’15, Sasha Jacobs’15, Eva
Mulloy’18.
Virginia Webster, a
major donor to CELEB
through the Scott & Virgina
Webster Endowed Entrepre-
neurship Fund, has passed
away.
Always a risk-taker,
Virginia was a Women’s Ser-
vice Airforce Pilot in World
War II. Committed to budding
entrepreneurs, Webster’s
2014 gift of $500,000 will
have a profound impact on
students for years to come.
Virginia was prede-
ceased by her husband, Scott
Webster’35. She is survived
by her nephews Larry Bell’58
and Ed Henby’64.
Dave Knutson saying farewell in BATV with a broadcasting class.
Live radio broadcast by WLCO during BIFF.
4 CELEB Summer 2015
Brian Morello, Director
608-361-6611 ext. 1101
[email protected]
Meghan Trimm, Program Coordinator
608-361-6611 ext. 1100
[email protected]
Jerry Gustafson, Founder
608-361-6611
[email protected]
Gallery ABBA—Myers Institute
608-361-6611 ext. 1115
www.beloit.edu/celeb
Maple Tree Studio
Ian Nie, Director
608-361-6611 ext.. 1104
Beloit Access TV
Keith Urban, Producer
608-361-6611 ext. 1116
WISE Foundation
608-361-6611 ext. 1102
Coleman Foundation New Venture Lab
608-361-6611 ext. 1100
CELEB
437 E. Grand Avenue
Beloit, WI 53511
From the
Director
Undertaking the college-mandated self-
study— a once a decade planning and strategy
exercise— and needing to find solutions in the
five month interim before our new program coor-
dinator was hired, CELEB has gone through a
year of reflection. Work has begun to collect data
that will help tell the story of our success in a
new way, including a survey of alums. During
this reflective process an article came out in the
esteemed Chronicle of Higher Education by Beth
McMurtrie that validated CELEB’s claim to entre-
preneurial trend-setting in higher education.
The article, called “Now Everyone’s an
Entrepreneur,” describes the high demand for
entrepreneurship in higher education and in
community-based youth programs across the
country. CELEB has witnessed this trend in our
enrollment, community outreach, and work-study
numbers.
Further, the higher education models
described in the article are kith and kin to the
work we do here: courses, hackathons, a sup-
portive ecosystem on campus, a venture lab--a
center. We also correlate with the trend in val-
ues—except we did it before it was the nationally
recognized “next big thing.” The value of instilling
the entrepreneurial mindset works by making the
students the “central actors” in their own projects
and expecting that they “move their ideas for-
ward.” This format draws students out of becom-
ing passive receptacles of education.
At CELEB as in the article, students
take ownership of projects and are forced to “do
the work the way it really happens…messy.”
CELEB has always been this kind of experimen-
tation center for the college, especially recog-
nizable in our commitment to experiential learn-
ing. Carol Geary Schneider put it succinctly as
quoted by McMurtrie, “Entrepreneurship is simp-
ly a shorthand title for learning how to apply
knowledge, skills, and judgement under condi-
tions of uncertainty.”
The article poignantly notes what our
experience at CELEB has shown time and again
--that entrepreneurship is a well-suited compan-
ion for interdisciplinary liberal arts. Students at
CELEB engaging in liberal arts education,
whether it be Economics, English, Art, or Phys-
ics, or any other major, are enriched and en-
hanced by synthesizing their traditional
knowledge through entrepreneurship, and recip-
rocally their ventures are stronger because of
their liberal education.
As we move forward, CELEB will be
implementing its findings with a continued focus
on complementing Beloit’s liberal arts tradition
with a program that utilizes experiential learning
and produces work-ready graduates who are
prepared to apply their education to real-world
contexts.
doc_527390010.pdf
On this outline relating to center for entrepreneurship in liberal education at beloit.
Empowering students to gain
fulfilling lives, marked by high
achievement and public contri-
bution, through imparting the
skills of successful venturing
in all its forms.
CELEB
437 E. Grand Avenue
Beloit, WI 53511
608-361-6611
www.beloit.edu/celeb
CELEB is an entrepre-
neurship center and program.
Composed of a business
incubator, a cable access
television studio, a music
recording studio, an art gal-
lery, a foundation office, and a
video post-production studio,
CELEB serves the students of
Beloit College in their entre-
preneurial ventures in both
business and the arts.
Center for Entrepreneurship in Liberal Education at Beloit
At the college’s urging to mark our tenth
anniversary as a center, CELEB is in the midst of a
self-study which entails a survey of alumni (coming
soon), a detailed report, and an external review by
experts in the field of entrepreneurship education. In
May (pictured from right) Jeff Cornwall of Belmont
University and Dick Lucier’64, Professor Emeritus of
Denison University, spent two busy days meeting
students, faculty, staff, and alumni to determine the
impact of CELEB and make suggestions.
Among their comments was the following
observation, “The Entrepreneurship Fellows Program
at Beloit is already one of the best in the country, as
observed by Dr. Cornwall. CELEB is poised to be-
come a national model program for liberal arts colleg-
es committed to entrepreneurship education.”
John Hughes, Chairman Emeritus of the
Coleman Foundation and one of the founding part-
ners of CELEB, returned to Beloit in April to speak
to Morello’85’s Introduction to Entrepreneurship
class, enjoy a reception, and meet two recipients
of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award named in
his honor (see page 2). His messages to students
emphasized goal setting and the propensity toward
action.
Hughes, a self-proclaimed delinquent and
high school dropout, was drafted by the Cubs’ mi-
nor league team as a teenager. After serving in the
82nd Airborne as a paratrooper in World War II, his
love of math led him to become a CPA, and he
eventually came to run Fannie May Candy. He
later presided over the Coleman Foundation and
more recently The Hughes Foundation.
The event was attended by Michael Hen-
nessy, current President of the Coleman Founda-
tion, Jonathan Hennessy, Hughes’ grandson, Kim
Bliss of Hendricks Holding, Dennis Connerton of
the Beloit Snappers, Paul Kerr of the Beloit Histori-
cal Society, Jim Franz of the Beloit Daily News,
Jerry Gustafson Founder of CELEB, as well as
many other students, faculty, staff and community
members who appreciate Hughes’ contributions to
Beloit College and to the field of entrepreneurship.
Reviewers discuss outcomes at dinner with students, staff, and
alumni of CELEB.
Above: Students & community gather for VIP reception with Hughes.
Cover Photo from left: John Hughes, Jerry Gustafson, & Brian Morello
4 CELEB Summer 2015
Entrepreneurship classes hosted several speakers in
the 2014 –15 school year including Tim Leslie’89 of Amazon,
Ken Muth’91 of Muth Corporation, Erica Sass of Northeast
College Prep Charter School, Gregory Roy, Dave Hen-
dricks’64, John Hughes (Featured on page 1, Chairman
Emeritus of the Coleman Foundation), Greg Meier of the
Global Entrepreneurship Collective, Alex Linebrink (founder of
GoPassage.com and participant in gener8tor), and author
Madeleine Roux’08 (pictured right).
Roux, a New York Times Best-Selling Author of
young adult horror, agreed to visit Beloit classes after a
speaking engagement at SEA, where she spoke about social
media and the importance of knowing your audience. Roux
advised Warren Palmer’s economics classes about the busi-
ness of selling books, getting started as an author, and living
in Los Angeles. Roux also stayed on for a book signing at the
college’s Turtle Creek Bookstore.
Ellery Addington
-White’15, a Computer
Science major, won the
2014-15 John E.
Hughes Entrepreneur
of the Year Award. The
Hughes Award, named
to honor the Chairman
Emeritus of the Cole-
man Foundation, goes
to the student who best
contributes to the spirit
of entrepreneurship
within academe.
The award rec-
ognizes students who
launch their own ven-
tures and who share
the fun and learning of
the effort. This year,
Addington-White
earned the prize for his
illustration and collabo-
ration in the healthcare
coding publication
Struck by Orca, which
has produced more
than $60,000 in reve-
nue. He has also been
a key player at CELEB
as the VentureWell In-
novation Fellow, intern,
and a leader in the Ar-
duino Robotics group.
As a kickoff to the Fall semester, CELEB
held its third annual New Venture Night during the
first week of classes. Formerly known as a Hacka-
thon, New Venture Night continues the ethos of
“Start your venture in one night.” This year the
evening proved to be an effective way to introduce
the basics of venturing and boost excitement
about entrepreneurship. New Venture Night’s
“launch” theme has become a signature of CE-
LEB, encouraging students to get outside the
norms and take action on things they care about.
The August event brought in guest col-
laborators from the incubator 100 State and EPIC
Systems to provide first hand expertise as the
students considered their venture ideas. A mix of
new and established entrepreneurs attended and
formed networks that helped get the semester off
to a fast start.
Students who attended New Venture
Night routinely find their way back to CELEB dur-
ing the semester to get business counseling and
do more comprehensive work.
Having legal counsel eventually becomes
a key ingredient for every startup. That advice will
now be available to students at CELEB through a
collaboration with University of Wisconsin-
Madison, a top ranked law school. The Law & En-
trepreneurship Clinic, was formed in 2010 by co-
founders Anne Smith and Eric Englund.
Attorneys supervise a group of first and
second year UW law students. Being retained as
counsel by the entrepreneurship student’s venture,
the law students practice real and material matters
of law. The relationship established between the
parties allows CELEB students to recognize the
impact of legal matters germane to their ventures.
2 CELEB Summer 2015
Madeleine Roux spoke at the SEA Conference, lead-
ing to a Beloit campus visit.
Students and Coleman Fellows listen to pitches for New Ven-
tures at New Venture Night.
Addington-White’15 accepts John Hughes Award at
Honors Day Ceremony. Pictured from Left (Dean &
Provost Ann Davies, Ellery Addington-White, Presi-
dent Scott Bierman, and Dean of Students Christina
Klawitter’98.
UW Law students and Advising Attorneys hold clinic in CELEB.
CELEB Summer 2014 3
SEA, CEO, Lake
FX Conferences
Inspire Beloiters
More than 40 stu-
dents attended entrepre-
neurship-related confer-
ences this year. The two
primary conferences,
CEO (Collegiate Entrepre-
neurs’ Organization) and
SEA (Self-Employment in
the Arts), which was co-
founded by Jerry Gus-
tafson’63 and celebrated
its 14th anniversary this
year, are both Coleman
Foundation supported
events.
At SEA, 33 Beloit
students popped into
seminars on everything
from pricing art to social
media and more. Contrib-
uting to the conference
were Palmer & Morello
who spoke at a panel on
micro-finance, a dance
troupe led by Coleman
Fellow Gina T’ai, and the
long-standing comedy
group Voodoo Barbie.
Four students
also scouted the new
Lake FX Summit in down-
town Chicago. Lake FX is
a free conference spon-
sored by Google that fo-
cuses on creative profes-
sionals and entrepre-
neurs. This year the sum-
mit featured film and mu-
sic showcases as well as
a marketplace for local
artisans.
Kristen McNeill’16, a edu-
cation major, organized and facili-
tated the annual Project EASY,
Entrepreneurship and Self-
employment for Youth workshop.
Not only did entrepreneurship edu-
cation reach Stateline middle-
schoolers, but the event sparked
inspiration for further community
outreach.
In March students from
CELEB facilitated a similar work-
shop for a small group of Fresh
Start High School Students at
Community Action Center. Lead by
McNeill, the team worked one-on-
one with youth to discover how the
talents and skills they have right
now can help them make money in
the immediate future. Using the
mantra “Small, simple, fast,” Fresh
Start students came up with ide-
as tailored to their individual
strengths. “The goal is to give
them something sustainable—as
in skills, attitudes, and experi-
ence they can use, but also show
them how to use those skills to
start a business right now. We
hope they come out of this with a
new way of thinking about their
potential,” said McNeill.
“I feel motivated. ...I can
put all the pieces together to start
doing what I want to do,” said
Chris Rowley, a Fresh Start stu-
dent whose ambition is to start a
motivational speaking series and
afterschool program.
The possibilities for entre-
preneurship to empower youth
seems to be catching on in the
wider community. CELEB has
been approached by the Merrill
Community Center, requesting an
entrepreneurship based after-
school program, and a Beloit alum
has requested consultation about
starting an entrepreneurship-based
charter school.
In February BATV and Galley ABBA hosted
filmmakers from The Beloit International Film Festival
as the official hospitality spot in Downtown Beloit. As
hosts, CELEB also showed a documentary—Hairy
Who & The Chicago Imagists—about the art in Chica-
go during the 1960’s. Movie-goers viewed the film in
the studio of Beloit Access Television. After the show-
ing Morello’85 invited guests and filmmakers to his
home to view his collection of Chicago Imagist art.
BIFF culminated with a WCLO live broadcast from Gal-
lery ABBA to highlight the final weekend of the festival.
After more
than 10 years Dave
Knutson retired from
teaching broadcasting
at BATV. His contribu-
tion to CELEB — stu-
dents well versed in
broadcasting—sets the
stage for stronger con-
tent oriented ventures
in the future. His collaboration with
Jerry Gustafson innovated the
possibility for college and commu-
nity to come together through TV.
Knutson is succeeded by
new station producer, Keith Urban
and Media Studies Fellow, Aaron
Gurlly.
Other changes include
the appointment of Diep Phan, an
Economics professor, as the Cole-
man Chair of Entrepreneurship.
Warren Palmer remains committed
to teaching entrepreneurship, as
well as continuing to Chair The
Upton Forum.
CELEB also welcomes
Meghan M.M. Trimm as the new
Program Coordinator.
CELEB Summer 2015 3
McNeill (white hat), CELEB volunteers & Fresh Start
students break the ice at an entrepreneurship workshop.
Gallery ABBA students attend SEA. From left: Dena
Winter’15, Carly Newman’15, Sasha Jacobs’15, Eva
Mulloy’18.
Virginia Webster, a
major donor to CELEB
through the Scott & Virgina
Webster Endowed Entrepre-
neurship Fund, has passed
away.
Always a risk-taker,
Virginia was a Women’s Ser-
vice Airforce Pilot in World
War II. Committed to budding
entrepreneurs, Webster’s
2014 gift of $500,000 will
have a profound impact on
students for years to come.
Virginia was prede-
ceased by her husband, Scott
Webster’35. She is survived
by her nephews Larry Bell’58
and Ed Henby’64.
Dave Knutson saying farewell in BATV with a broadcasting class.
Live radio broadcast by WLCO during BIFF.
4 CELEB Summer 2015
Brian Morello, Director
608-361-6611 ext. 1101
[email protected]
Meghan Trimm, Program Coordinator
608-361-6611 ext. 1100
[email protected]
Jerry Gustafson, Founder
608-361-6611
[email protected]
Gallery ABBA—Myers Institute
608-361-6611 ext. 1115
www.beloit.edu/celeb
Maple Tree Studio
Ian Nie, Director
608-361-6611 ext.. 1104
Beloit Access TV
Keith Urban, Producer
608-361-6611 ext. 1116
WISE Foundation
608-361-6611 ext. 1102
Coleman Foundation New Venture Lab
608-361-6611 ext. 1100
CELEB
437 E. Grand Avenue
Beloit, WI 53511
From the
Director
Undertaking the college-mandated self-
study— a once a decade planning and strategy
exercise— and needing to find solutions in the
five month interim before our new program coor-
dinator was hired, CELEB has gone through a
year of reflection. Work has begun to collect data
that will help tell the story of our success in a
new way, including a survey of alums. During
this reflective process an article came out in the
esteemed Chronicle of Higher Education by Beth
McMurtrie that validated CELEB’s claim to entre-
preneurial trend-setting in higher education.
The article, called “Now Everyone’s an
Entrepreneur,” describes the high demand for
entrepreneurship in higher education and in
community-based youth programs across the
country. CELEB has witnessed this trend in our
enrollment, community outreach, and work-study
numbers.
Further, the higher education models
described in the article are kith and kin to the
work we do here: courses, hackathons, a sup-
portive ecosystem on campus, a venture lab--a
center. We also correlate with the trend in val-
ues—except we did it before it was the nationally
recognized “next big thing.” The value of instilling
the entrepreneurial mindset works by making the
students the “central actors” in their own projects
and expecting that they “move their ideas for-
ward.” This format draws students out of becom-
ing passive receptacles of education.
At CELEB as in the article, students
take ownership of projects and are forced to “do
the work the way it really happens…messy.”
CELEB has always been this kind of experimen-
tation center for the college, especially recog-
nizable in our commitment to experiential learn-
ing. Carol Geary Schneider put it succinctly as
quoted by McMurtrie, “Entrepreneurship is simp-
ly a shorthand title for learning how to apply
knowledge, skills, and judgement under condi-
tions of uncertainty.”
The article poignantly notes what our
experience at CELEB has shown time and again
--that entrepreneurship is a well-suited compan-
ion for interdisciplinary liberal arts. Students at
CELEB engaging in liberal arts education,
whether it be Economics, English, Art, or Phys-
ics, or any other major, are enriched and en-
hanced by synthesizing their traditional
knowledge through entrepreneurship, and recip-
rocally their ventures are stronger because of
their liberal education.
As we move forward, CELEB will be
implementing its findings with a continued focus
on complementing Beloit’s liberal arts tradition
with a program that utilizes experiential learning
and produces work-ready graduates who are
prepared to apply their education to real-world
contexts.
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