What is the Social Entrepreneurship Summer Institute?

The Social Entrepreneurship Summer Institute is a multi-faceted civic engagement initiative that combines business education outreach for professionals working in the non-profit sector with service-learning internships for University of Illinois students. The institute features presentations by U of I faculty, APs, and business professionals; and the curriculum emphasizes principles in social entrepreneurship. Students apply the concepts learned during the institute and companion course, Social Entrepreneurship & the Citizen Leader, to address community needs in innovative and sustainable ways.

As an initiative of the Office of Undergraduate Affairs in the College of Business, SESI was launched in 2007 with the support of a seed grant from the Chancellor's Task Force for Civic Commitment in the 21st Century and sponsorship from the Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership. SESI provides an exciting opportunity for faculty members from any discipline, academic professionals, and business professionals to share knowledge and expertise to support the professional development of leaders in the non-profit sector as well as University of Illinois students learning to become civic-minded professionals!

Overview of the Institute
SESI consists of a three-weekend program of workshops and presentations delivered by University of Illinois faculty, academic professionals, and invited speakers (local, state, national, and international), which emphasizes a curriculum related to business skills and social entrepreneurship. The institute provides business education outreach to professional staff working in the non-profit sector along with University of Illinois students (students of all majors are encouraged to apply). In addition to learning with community partners during the institute, student fellows spend the summer working in teams with the participating non-profit organizations for a minimum of 60 hours to address community needs in innovative and sustainable ways through the application of social entrepreneurship concepts.

Service-Learning Internship Course
Student fellows are required to enroll in the affiliated course, Social Entrepreneurship & the Citizen Leader (3 credits/graded/Summer Session 2), which is intended to provide structure and support to maximize learning and accountability in the academic service-learning internships. The course focuses on social entrepreneurship, in which principles such as opportunity recognition, resource mobilization, and value creation are used to address social issues in innovative and sustainable ways. Students gain hands-on experience with the theory and application of social entrepreneurship in authentic contexts through the service-learning internships and participate in structured activities, discussions, and reflection to connect those experiences to concepts and readings in business, social entrepreneurship, leadership development, and community psychology. Through a process of thoughtful engagement and civic reflection, the course objectives are designed to help student fellows achieve a functional understanding of social entrepreneurship principles in context, develop skills to be effective citizen leaders and community practitioners, and demonstrate competency in business and professional skills through the successful completion of deliverables that meet genuine community needs.

View student portfolios and team project posters!
http://sites.google.com/site/sesiportfolios/

SESI Staff Contacts
Collette Niland, Executive Director (333-2740)
Stacy Bennett, Director of External Relations (333-2740)
Valeri Werpetinski, Director of Curriculum and Service-Learning (333-3370)

2009 Social Entrepreneurship Summer Institute
June 12-13, 19-20, 26-27

2009 Presenters
Paul Magelli, Laura Hollis, Cynthia Kehoe, Lynn Peisker, Jenna Weidenbenner, Madhu Viswanathan, Ron Watkins, Kevin Jackson, April Djakoniya, Mike Frerichs, Amy Eichhorst, Darryl Cheeks, Anne Heinze Silvis, Michelle Shumate, Dave Sternberg, and Giulia Merola

2009 Workshop and Presentation Topics
Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship
Thinking Entrepreneurially: Translational Outreach to the Social Services
Community Needs Assessment: Resources and Strategies
Volunteer Management
Connected and Directed: Networking to Facilitate Change
Identifying Needs and Envisioning Social Enterprises
How to Scope Out a Problem
Entrepreneurship and Accounting: Had I Only Known
Cause Marketing: The New Partnership Model
Public Affairs
Fundraising for Nonprofits
Asset-based Development, Identifying and Working with Stakeholders, and Using the Community Capitals Framework for Community Development Initiatives
Network Management: The Power of Collaboration
Position Your Board to Get Things Done!
Understanding Brand: How to Discover Yours and What to Do With It

2009 Champaign-Urbana Community Partners
Crisis Nursery
Girl Scouts of Central Illinois
Greater Community AIDS Project
Hope Community Health Center
Illinois Green Business Association (C-U Chapter)
SmileHealthy
Unity in Action Magazine
A Woman's Fund

2009 East St. Louis Community Partners
Community Concepts (in the Village Theatre)
The Eagle's Nest of St. Clair County
Opal's House, Inc.

*Thanks to the East St. Louis Action Research Project for providing support to enable our partnership expansion to include these great nonprofits!

Community Health Center Provides Hope for Champaign-Urbana
Social Entrepreneurs: Catalysts for Change
UI Senior, Two Graduates Making 'Green' their Business

Center for Teaching Excellence (Service-Learning Site)
East St. Louis Action Research Project
Engaged Illinois (Scholarship of Engagement Community)
Entrepreneurship Portal
Free Management Library
Government Documents Library
Idealist.org
Independent Sector
LINC: Learning in Community
Office of the Vice Chancellor for Public Engagement
Office of Volunteer Programs
Points of Light Institute
SESI Student Portfolios and Team Posters
United Way of Champaign County
University of Illinois Extension

Alltop: Top Social Entrepreneurship News
Ashoka: Innovators for the Public
Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship
Kauffman: The Foundation of Entrepreneurship
Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship
Skoll Foundation
Social Enterprise/Social Entrepreneurship Resources (Free Management Library)
Social Entrepreneurship--Change.org
The New Heroes--Stories of Social Entrepreneurs
University Network for Social Entrepreneurship