Summer Program in Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise is a Success

Campbell University’s Lundy-Fetterman School of Business hosted its first Summer Program in Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise from June 14-17, 2009. The Program introduced high school students to the fundamentals of market-based economics, free enterprise and entrepreneurship.

The participants engaged in problem solving exercises and academic sessions led by Campbell faculty. In addition to these traditional activities, the participants also engaged in innovated learning exercises through the use of mainstream movies to illustrate the principles discussed by the faculty and through hands-on learning by visiting the day-to-day operations at Bob Barker Company, Inc., in Fuquay-Varina. The participants also were assigned a business proposal assignment where they needed to develop an innovative product or service, identify their potential market, estimate their start-up costs and, finally, make an oral presentation of their business proposal; each member of the team with the overall best proposal won a $25 gift card from Barnes and Noble.

According to Dr. Derek K. Yonai, Lundy Chair of the Philosophy of Business, “This was a great opportunity for young people to understand that their limitless creativity has the potential to help enhance the standard of living of everyone around them.” Dr. Yonai also added, “I think the biggest thing the participants learned was that our economy is really built on the small entrepreneur and without them we would not be where we are at today.”

On Wed., June 17, the Summer Program in Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise awarded certificates of completion to its inaugural class. Receiving certificates were: Michael Barlow (Cary), Samantha Brock (Goldsboro), Traci Caporale (Norwood), Blake Carter (Winston-Salem), Jaron Cayton (Fayetteville), Michael Chadwick (Clayton), Chanel Charles (Fayetteville), Kathleen Doughty (Goldsboro), Abiye Fubara (Angier), Lauren Gillette (Raleigh), Nick Hammond (Coats), Roshashanah Hopkins (Knightdale), Aneesh Kodali (Raleigh), AhKeemah Pearson (Raleigh), Alicia Tapp (Apex), and Adam Tyndall (Hope Mills).

Program participant Nick Hammond exclaimed, “I am already [excited] for next year’s camp, and would have stayed even longer.”

Courtesy of the School of Business