January 31, 2022
Providing students with real-world practical experience is one of the hallmarks of a St. John’s University education. To that end, The Peter J. Tobin College of Business has established programs—several with other Colleges within the University—to enhance student entrepreneurship.
“There was an initiative from Simon G. Møller, Ph.D., Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, to look at the resources across the Schools and Colleges of the University to see how we might capture and promote the entrepreneurial spirit,” noted William D. Reisel, Ph.D., Coordinator of the program and Professor of Management in The Peter J. Tobin College of Business.
One solution that emerged was a joint suggestion from Tobin and The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies to create a master’s program in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Dr. Reisel serves as Director of the program.
Additionally, Dr. Reisel works with University faculty on many collaborative events, such as Difference Makers, which provides Vincentian academic service-learning opportunities to high school students. Four New York City high schools work with Dr. Reisel after school on a virtual platform to solve problems in partnership with not-for-profits and raise funds that they donate to the partner organizations.
High school students, their teachers, and principals also participate in the annual Pitch Johnny competition, which showcases social entrepreneurship that engages high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. “Quite a few students like what they see, and are making St. John’s their higher education destination of choice,” noted Dr. Reisel.
“These programs are a great way to bring high school students into the orbit of the University,” he offered. He added, the James and Eileen Christmas Business Plan Competition takes Pitch Johnny to another level, encouraging students to refine their business plans.
“We have academic rigor, which starts at the high school level and carries over to the undergraduate and graduate levels, and these engaging competitions where we bring in high-level alumni as judges. There’s a lot of buzz built into that. Our vision moving forward is to further enhance student engagement.”
Dr. Reisel noted that a traditional management course for sophomores has been revised to give first-year students an entrepreneurship experience in a competition and an opportunity to participate in very detailed career readiness pedagogy.
“Dr. Møller encourages us to pivot from a silo approach to bring this fervor for entrepreneurship to all of our students,” he explained.
The economic reality, especially in light of the pandemic, is that a person can have a secure job one day and be fired the next, which is proof to Dr. Reisel that the need for a knowledge base in entrepreneurship is crucial. “It’s a powerful tool for people. They can conceptualize a business plan and make something happen,” he said. “Many people in those positions have gone on to franchising or other types of creative enterprises. That’s what makes the entrepreneurial spirit so vital.”
Dr. Reisel noted that these initiatives strongly resonate with St. John’s alumni, many of whom own their own businesses. “It’s a really fantastic area of creativity and innovation.”
He added that these programs also offer faculty great opportunities for mentorship. “I’ve seen the work of faculty across many disciplines and the intensity of devotion to their craft. It blows me away to know how many good people there are in our faculty ranks. That experience has been a phenomenal eye-opener.”
He added that in addition to for-profit mission-driven entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship is also a priority, and a number of high school students have been recruited into the Ozanam Scholars Program as a result of their service efforts in Difference Makers.
Albert Bateh ’16TCB, a past winner of the James and Eileen Christmas Business Plan Competition, said the competition was extremely helpful in his development of a more accurate and detailed plan for his business, EZ Net Hair Care LLC, a product that removes hair from brush bristles. “It helped me create a more seamless company,” he said. “It put me on track to know what still needed to be done.”
Mr. Bateh added, “St. John’s allowed me to use my unperfected skills to work out the kinks and get everything down on paper to allow the business to move along at a quicker rate than it otherwise would have.”
A faculty member for more than two decades, Dr. Reisel said, “I feel my job is to create opportunities for students, and I want to have students in our seats for generations to come.”