REGISTRATION OPEN FOR 7TH ANNUAL NACCE CONFERENCE

Chicago Meeting, Oct. 11-14, 2009, Offers over 50 Informative Sessions

Plus Opportunity to Vie for a Share of Up to $100,000 in Elevator Grants

Springfield, MA – August 4, 2009 – Community college entrepreneurship educators from across the country are headed for the Windy City, as the 7^th Annual Conference of the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship will be held October 11-14, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare hotel in Chicago, IL. With a theme of “Entrepreneurship: Finding Your Opportunity in Today’s Economy,” the NACCE conference will offer over 50 cutting-edge sessions with presenters who are advancing entrepreneurship education and student business incubation at their community colleges.

“Because of the country’s current economic situation, entrepreneurship education is growing in importance on campuses all across America,” says NACCE Executive Director, Heather Van Sickle. “The NACCE conference is a place where entrepreneurially minded community college professionals gather to identify opportunities and create positive organizational and community change. Through sessions on entrepreneurial leadership, entrepreneurship education, and student business incubation programs, you will learn how your community college can make an impact in your community’s economic future.”

“The Coleman Foundation has been supporting entrepreneurship education since 1981,” says Michael Hennessy, president and CEO of the Chicago-based foundation who is a major supporter of NACCE and its annual conference. “We believe business ownership is a key to both individual self-sufficiency and local economic development. Community colleges hold tremendous potential to provide support and education to a wide range of present and future business owners. We are very pleased that the NACCE conference will be here in Chicago in the fall. It will provide a great opportunity to showcase strong Midwest community college programs, discuss emerging programs and share best practices.”

The NACCE conference is being hosted this year by the City Colleges of Chicago, which include Harold Washington College, Kennedy King College, Malcolm X College, Olive-Harvey College, Richard J. Daley College, Truman College, and Wilbur Wright College.

“We will conduct an elevator grant session, which will provide community college faculty members the chance to make a quick pitch for grants of up to $7,500 to fund entrepreneurship projects,” adds Hennessy. “Many of the prior awards have had a significant impact on campus and community outreach programs and have been used to leverage local resources.”

Agenda highlights include:

•  Keynote speaker Harold Evans has for years studied America’s greatest innovators, from the steam engine to the search engine, for his book and PBS series, They Made America. The book was acclaimed, among others, by Fortune magazine as one of the best in its 75 years of publication. Evans is also the author of the acclaimed best-selling book on American history, The American Century. He received the John Burton Tigrett Award for Innovation in 2004. His conference presentation is entitled “Making It New: Innovate or Die!”

• Keynote speaker Cameron Johnson is a seriously happy 24-year-old entrepreneur who started 12 companies before turning 21. At 15, he became the youngest American appointed to the board of a Japanese-based company and before graduating high school, he had made his first million. Learn the secrets behind his success and learn how to take control of your life and most importantly, live the life you want. Cameron was a finalist on Oprah Winfrey's first prime time series, “The Big Give,” which aired on ABC. His NACCE presentation is entitled: “You Call the Shots: Succeed Your Way - and How to Live the Life You Want.”

•  In the Elevator Grants competition, The Coleman Foundation will award up to $100,000 in grants to support programs that establish or grow entrepreneurship education in community college settings. Registrations to participate in the grant competition must be received by September 8, 2009. Full information, including the grant application form, is available at http://www.nacce.com/?ElevatorGrants

Conference program tracks will include:

· Entrepreneurship Curriculum and Experiential Learning

· Community Colleges and Economic Development Agencies

· Entrepreneurship Outreach and Specialty Programs

· Professional Development--Supporting Faculty in Teaching

· Sustainability--Keeping Entrepreneurship Offerings on Track

Conference Fees

Conference registration includes admission to all general and breakout sessions, networking receptions, three breakfasts, and two lunches. The cost for NACCE members is $600 for those who register on or before September 11, 2009, and $650 for those who register after that date or on-site. Fees for non-members are $700 for those who register on or before September 11, 2009, and $750 for those who register on or before that date or on-site. The fee for a pre-conference sessions held on Sunday, October 11, 2009 is $25 for members and $50 for non-members. Tours of Chicago and a local community college are also planned.

About the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship

The National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) connects community college administrators and faculty with knowledge and successful practices regarding entrepreneurial leadership, entrepreneurship education, and student business incubation. NACCE holds an annual conference, hosts a dynamic listserv, develops Web resources such as shared entrepreneurship curricula and syllabi for faculty, creates guides in beginning and sustaining entrepreneurship and student business incubation programs, as well as, tips for grant proposals specific to entrepreneurial endeavors at community colleges. To learn more, visit http://www.nacce.com.