Student fellows learn from each other at B-W

Patrick Miltner, a Baldwin-Wallace senior majoring in economics and political science, is currently interning with Cleveland-based Lazor Point, a business consultancy for local companies seeking increased growth and sustainability.

Katie Taylor, a theater and international studies major, has been collaborating with other B-W students to launch a campus coffee shop that will serve only coffee from Ecuador that is traded freely and fairly.

The two are among 23 students enrolled in B-W's Center for Innovation and Growth (CIG) Student Fellowship Program. The curriculum for the project was developed by professors Peter Rea and Alan Kolp and links the characteristics of a successful entrepreneur with the seven "classical virtues" defined by Aristotle - courage, faith, justice, prudence, temperance, love, and hope.

The CIG Fellowship program is a yearlong course that relies on practical experiences, mentoring and reflection to teach students how to convert ideas into opportunities. Students from a wide range of disciplines are selected. Nineteen of those currently enrolled are studying non-business related subjects.

CIG Student Fellows are nominated by faculty based, not on their grades, but on characteristics such as motivation, creativity, outside project involvement, and world awareness. They gain access to hands-on learning opportunities that might not otherwise be available without the relationships formed through the program. The program is supported through NEOCEP, the Northeast Ohio Collegiate Entrepreneurship Program, which is intended to bring a culture of entrepreneurship to liberal arts campuses in Northeast Ohio.

"It's about learning how to turn our passions into opportunities," said Emily Mastroianni, a junior majoring in psychology with minors in Spanish and religion.

Next year, the CIG Fellowship program is expected to expand to 40 students.