The Rohrer College of Business is giving its students a space to work on their new business ideas.
The Hatch House is a workspace located in room 213 of the new Rohrer College’s Business Hall. The Hatch House will be used for business competitions and contains several collaboration rooms, a conference room and a brainstorming station where students can come up with ideas. Rohrer College has been working with a startup accelerator to advance the Entrepreneurship Across the Campus initiative to enhance student startups and provide services to its students, according to Rowan University’s website.
“Hatch House isn’t run by anyone, it’s run by the students, and their voice and their contributions are both required and welcomed,” said President of Hatch House Ventures at Rowan, Steve Boerner.
The venture works directly with students to provide networking opportunities and develop an entrepreneurial mindset throughout classrooms.
All students, regardless of major or skill set, can engage in interactive workshops, apply for business competitions and work with mentors, according to Boerner.
“It’s really important for us to show that entrepreneurship is a mindset where you can problem solve differently, you can talk to interviewers about how you can solve problems differently, and then you can apply it,” Boerner said.
Hatch House Ventures is working with select students on an eight-week program, called Spring Startup Accelerator, providing the students with $1,000, guided mentors and resources for their startup ideas. Students can also apply for business competitions, with one currently in its third round of four, allowing students to win cash prizes and services sponsored by local companies.
Students who have not applied can observe the Business Plan Competition that will take place in April.
Boerner emphasized that student involvement is the most important factor for Hatch House to be a successful network. Students who wish to get involved with Hatch House can attend regular meet-ups in room 213 in Business Hall.
Boerner has been volunteering to make in-class presentations involved with faculty development to reach classrooms that teach an entrepreneurial curriculum.
A faculty-based initiative of approximately 35 faculty members from different colleges across the university’s campus are learning about incorporating entrepreneurship concepts in their existing classrooms, according to the academic director of Hatch House at Rowan University, Dr. Cheryl Bodnar.
The concepts that faculty will be taught in order to incorporate the entrepreneurial mindset throughout classrooms focus on, “creativity, brainstorming, [and] innovation,” according to Bodnar.
“I feel that there will be a lot of new opportunities opening up within six to 12 months for students,” Bodnar said.
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