WASHINGTON, DC – Howard University’s Institute for Entrepreneurship, Leadership, and Innovation hosted its annual Faculty Conference on Entrepreneurship June 24, 2009 to June 26, 2009. Pooling the leading educators from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) on the topic, the 3-day discussion centered not only on the best practices in traditional entrepreneurship curriculum but introduced alternative education methods and opportunities ranging from “Online Education and Class Design,” to “Health and Wellness Entrepreneurship”.

John Sibley Butler, Ph.D., Professor of Management and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin who presented “The Sociology of Black Entrepreneurship in America”. Often ignored, the strong tradition of entrepreneurship and self-help among Black Americans is captured by Dr. Butler in an historical picture, anchored in a theoretical frame that adds value to knowledge of race and economics in the Unites States, specifically, economic stability and ethnic groups. At the time of publication there was no attempt by scholars to utilize the African-American experience to build theoretical approaches to guide research.

Key presenters included Leonard L. Haynes, III, executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (WHIHBCU), on the topic of “HBCUs: The Economy, Entrepreneurship & Education,” and Gregory Fairchild, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Virginia, on the topic of “Entrepreneurs as Change Agents.

Executive Director Jonhetta Bosemena Hard (left), and keynote presenter John Sibley Butler, Ph.D. (right).

About the Conference
The HBCU Faculty Conference on Entrepreneurship was created to encourage HBCU's to prepare their students to take advantage of entrepreneurial opportunities. This is accomplished through HBCU faculty introducing concepts of entrepreneurship into the courses and taking a leadership role in infusing such thinking into the broader curriculum on their campuses. During the conference, HBCU faculty are invited to participate and discuss ways to develop and implement programs, raise awareness and involvement of the activities on their campuses and develop and expand course offerings and co-curricular activities.