Dear friends,

As the fall semester gets underway, campus is coming to life with the energy and excitement of a new academic year. Incoming freshmen are embarking on a significant new chapter. Meanwhile, seniors are preparing to take the final steps in their academic journey, poised to launch their careers with a freshly minted business degree from Carson College.

In this issue of eDividend, we highlight how our programs and initiatives are cultivating the next generation of entrepreneurs, equipped with the skills and vision needed to navigate and shape the future of business. The entrepreneurship program is a cornerstone of the Carson College, offering benefits to students from across the university system as it continues to grow in enrollment. The number of undergraduate minors and majors in entrepreneurship has risen from 103 in 2019, to 157 this past academic year. Nearly 600 students from across all majors were enrolled to take entrepreneurship classes.

Our feature on AgRooted, a Coug-founded agritourism business, shows how Carson classes and programs designed to support student entrepreneurs can inspire innovative business ideas and provide a launch pad to get them off the ground. In the past 10 years alone, more than 20 businesses have been launched with the help of Carson programs.

At WSU Tri-Cities, our three-course entrepreneurship series demonstrates our dedication to leveraging industry partnerships. These collaborations are essential in offering a progressive business education that empowers our students to address the most pressing challenges of the 21st century and beyond.

With the appointment of Paul Warner as the executive director of WSU’s Center for Entrepreneurship, we are further solidifying our investment in programs that produce career-ready entrepreneurs. His leadership will undoubtedly enhance our capacity to support and launch new ventures.

The 2024 Business Plan Competition showcased the incredible talent and ambition within our community. Altogether, the top teams earned more than $50,000 in seed money, providing crucial funding to bring their ideas to life. Second-place winner team PicsGenie took part in the Jones Milestones Accelerator this summer, securing additional money to propel their new business that allows people to use generative AI to design and purchase clothing.

We also feature graduates from our online MBA programs who are successful entrepreneurs. MBA alum John Howerton is the cofounder of Cord Analytics, an investing platform simplifying stock analysis for everyday users. His story illustrates how our graduates are leveraging cutting-edge tools like generative AI to revolutionize and expand their industries. Our feature on executive MBA alum and entrepreneur Bobby Wiese reveals how he has used his degree training to improve his business that creates high-end metal products for architectural purposes.

The Carson College is proud to be a catalyst for entrepreneurial growth and a leader in contemporary business education. I encourage you to join us in celebrating the achievements of our remarkable students, faculty, and alumni.

Together, we will continue to build a community that inspires innovation, drives change, and prepares future-ready entrepreneurs.

Go Cougs!

Debbie Compeau, Interim Dean

Dear friends,

I’m excited to contribute my first eDividend message since transitioning to the role of interim dean in July. Our former dean Chip Hunter, who led the Carson College for nearly nine years, has been appointed dean of Temple University’s Fox School of Business in Pennsylvania. We wish Chip well in his new role, and I look forward to building on the foundation he set during his tenure.

In this issue of eDividend, I’m pleased to showcase the many dimensions of innovation in the Carson College of Business. Our students continue to impress us with their innovative ideas and talents. As our recent 2023 Gen Z Spotlight Report shows, making money is not this generation’s sole focus for successful lives and careers; they are eager to do something that gives them a sense of purpose. You’ll see this mentality reflected in our feature highlighting some award-winning concepts our students presented in this year’s Business Plan Competition. Their web platforms and mobile apps improving campus safety, foster care resources, and non-emergency transportation businesses demonstrate a strong commitment toward using technology for social good.

Our feature on undergraduate Felicia Adesope also aligns with this theme. She’s researching how social media and technology correlate to an increase in mass shootings. Her work aims to provide social media and technology companies with best practices to help law enforcement detect threats of mass shootings before attacks occur.

As a college, we continually explore the value of technological innovation in our teaching and research efforts. Our WSU Entrepreneurship Skills and Knowledge Accelerator (WESKA) feature emphasizes the growth of this program designed to help graduate students from nonbusiness disciplines grow their knowledge of core entrepreneurial concepts. Many of their entrepreneurial ideas relate to technology for social good, as you’ll see in the WESKA feature referencing program participants who launched BioNutra, a successful nutrition business in Tanzania.

Our faculty research feature examines how inventors can affect a company’s innovation following a product failure. Amrita Lahiri found that inventors with more collaborative strength and a long tenure within a company are likely to reduce the propensity of drug innovation following failure, whereas those with low tenure increase it. This is but one example of how faculty are creating new knowledge about processes of innovation in organizations.

We remain focused on equipping graduates with marketable skills that bring value to businesses and communities in Washington state and the world. Our feature on alumna Carter (Marks) Wiggins highlights how our quality programming helped her build a career in Napa Valley’s wine industry. Executive MBA alumnus Jason Hostetter’s story illustrates the leadership and innovation he brings to the Pennsylvania’s electric and power industry.

I look forward to working with you to ensure our programs are highly sought after and continue to prepare our students for the increasingly complex and evolving world of business.

Go Cougs!

Debbie Compeau, Interim Dean