The Morehouse Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center (MIEC) at Morehouse College will help the Hub identify minority-serving institutions (MSIs) —Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other institutions of higher education with predominantly Latino or minority populations— that have programs and resources aimed at fostering entrepreneurship and building wealth for people of color.
“We will form a Southeast cluster of MSI innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems to connect and stimulate the growth of each MSI,” said Tiffany Bussey, Ph.D., executive director of the MIEC. “This partnership will further help us accelerate entrepreneurship among students and faculty at MSIs.”
Minority-Serving Institutions enroll more than one-third of all U.S. underrepresented students which allow unparalleled access to support these students. Black and Hispanic students in technology-related innovation appear to be more successful navigating their discipline at an MSI. There has been declining interest in STEM innovation careers and current participation of technology-related innovation disciplines in the U.S is at a record low level, with minority groups chronically underrepresented. Minority groups are not well represented in STEM innovation disciplines, and African Americans make up less than 3% of STEM innovation related workers.
The Southeast MBDA IC Innovation Hub will address the lack of participation of underrepresented groups in the innovation ecosystem by offering programs to: (1) foster innovation and entrepreneurship on MSI campuses in the region and; (2) facilitate connection of MSIs to each other and to the local and regional ecosystems. We will form a Southeast cluster of MSI innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems to connect and stimulate the growth of each MSI.
Through educational programming, MSI Connections will teach students, faculty, staff, alumni, and local business owners about innovation, starting and scaling a business, and becoming a successful business owner. This network will bring together academics and practitioners to discuss best practices in integrating entrepreneurship on campuses and in communities.
Campus Connection – Innovation Champions – To build capacity and foster an innovation mindset, the Business Growth Hub will recruit staff from innovation and entrepreneurship centers. This group of Innovation Champions will meet monthly to discuss best practices for fostering innovation on their campuses.
Campus Connection – Student Focus – To foster innovation among students in the Southeast cluster MSI schools, the Business Growth Hub will host a speaker series and idea jam sessions.
More about Dr. Bussey:
Tiffany Rogers Bussey, DBA, MSc., MBA, PMP is the founder and Executive Director of the Morehouse Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, a global model for providing minority serving institutions contract support in the areas of process improvement, and organizational management infrastructure development. Dr. Bussey has over twenty years of experience in various aspects of business management for corporate, small business, educational and nonprofit organizations. As Director of the Morehouse Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, Dr. Bussey manages strategic teams of faculty, staff and consultants to achieve the goals of the Center, which is to assist in the development of minority entrepreneurship through scholarly research, training and consulting services. Dr. Bussey is also an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at Morehouse College. Dr. Bussey earned her doctorate in business administration and masters of science degree in strategic management from Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University, Scotland, U.K. She also received a masters in business administration from George Washington University in Washington D.C and a baccalaureate degree in economics from The College of Saint Elizabeth in New Jersey. Dr. Bussey is a Project Management Professional, Certified Quality Auditor, Certified Training Presenter, and a Certified Teacher of Entrepreneurship. Her research interest intersects the areas of leadership behavior and strategic change in small firms.