Update: First conversations

Yesterday, I had two wonderful and very informative phone calls with some leaders in the field of social entrepreneurship education. 

The first call was with the Canadian Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Alberta School of Business. The second call was with the Social Enterprise Program at Columbia Business School.

A common theme in both conversations was the need for more research in the field of social entrepreneurship education. Because it’s a relatively new area, it’s important to start building a case for support — tracking the success and longevity of program graduates. To be able to teach social entrepreneurship properly, there needs to be a strong knowledge base or a foundation of insights to develop a curriculum with a long-term view. 

Academic involvement of some kind would help to bring credibility to the field; however, we should take care to prevent SEE from becoming solely theoretical. A practical component is vital, “If you really want to learn, you have to get your hands a little bit dirty.” 

Interestingly, Columbia has a broad approach to SEE to cater to their diverse student body. While a primary focus is to develop the next generation of social enterprise leaders, they also aim to inspire leaders in other areas to contribute back to the sector by sitting on boards, investing or interacting at a business level. Similarly, at CCSE anyone can enrol in the course (Social Entrepreneurship & Corporate Social Responsibility) and, if they choose, use their newfound skills to launch a social venture.

Question: what kind of balance do we need between a theoretical and hands-on approach to teaching social entrepreneurship?