Belmont held its commencements this past weekend.
For many faculty, graduation can be a rather sad event. Students who they have gotten to know over the past few years head off to careers or graduate school in other cities. While they may keep in touch along the way, the teacher/learner relationship has ended.
The good news for me is that graduation is simply a transition to a new stage of learning. Since entrepreneurship takes life-long learning, we offer our entrepreneurship graduates a "life time warranty". That means I will be e-mailing, chatting on the phone, or meeting for a cup of coffee at Bongo Java Coffee House with most of my recent graduates over the coming weeks, months, and years.
We will be integrating what they have learned in our program into each new challenge they face. It may be a growth issue they are facing with the business they started while a student at Belmont. It may be dissecting the newest venture idea they have come up with to meet a new market opportunity. It may be looking through an offer they have on the table that will allow them an exit from their business. Or it may be an ethical dilemma they are struggling with.
The cool thing is that over time our alumni begin to give back to our program by becoming part of the learning process for our current students. Our alumni come into our classes to help teach our students the entrepreneurial challenges that await them. They act as mentors for students launching ventures in the midst of their studies. They also hire our students as interns and full-time employees.
I cherish my relationships with our alumni. I wish godspeed to all of you. But, the good news it is not "Good bye."
And on a personal note, a special congratulations to our son Russ, who finished the MBA program at Belmont this past weekend!
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For many faculty, graduation can be a rather sad event. Students who they have gotten to know over the past few years head off to careers or graduate school in other cities. While they may keep in touch along the way, the teacher/learner relationship has ended.
The good news for me is that graduation is simply a transition to a new stage of learning. Since entrepreneurship takes life-long learning, we offer our entrepreneurship graduates a "life time warranty". That means I will be e-mailing, chatting on the phone, or meeting for a cup of coffee at Bongo Java Coffee House with most of my recent graduates over the coming weeks, months, and years.
We will be integrating what they have learned in our program into each new challenge they face. It may be a growth issue they are facing with the business they started while a student at Belmont. It may be dissecting the newest venture idea they have come up with to meet a new market opportunity. It may be looking through an offer they have on the table that will allow them an exit from their business. Or it may be an ethical dilemma they are struggling with.
The cool thing is that over time our alumni begin to give back to our program by becoming part of the learning process for our current students. Our alumni come into our classes to help teach our students the entrepreneurial challenges that await them. They act as mentors for students launching ventures in the midst of their studies. They also hire our students as interns and full-time employees.
I cherish my relationships with our alumni. I wish godspeed to all of you. But, the good news it is not "Good bye."
And on a personal note, a special congratulations to our son Russ, who finished the MBA program at Belmont this past weekend!
That's right! And much congrats to Russ!