Illinois Valley Community College President Named to National E-Ship Forum

For immediate release
Sept. 28, 2012

From Illinois Valley Community
College’s Community Relations Office
815.224.0465

The National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), the nation’s leading organization focused on promoting entrepreneurship through community colleges, announced today Illinois Valley Community College President Jerry Corcoran has joined its new Presidents for Entrepreneurship Forum.

Through the program, presidents of community colleges throughout the country commit to increase the focus on entrepreneurship at their institutions and the impact these colleges have on the economic well being of the communities they serve. Corcoran is one of three Illinois community college presidents to join.

With the economy still lagging in many regions of the United States, more than 186 community colleges have joined, and by doing so, have committed to playing a greater role in stimulating economic development in the communities they serve.

"IVCC has a long history of supporting entrepreneurship in a number of ways and particularly through services offered from our Small Business Development Center and Business Training Center,” said Corcoran.

"Within the next year, we’ll be moving into our new Peter Miller Community Technology Center and one of the programs I’d love to see housed within the new building’s Center for Innovation and Opportunity is called Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities — ideal for high school juniors and seniors who are passionate about watching their business dreams become realities,” he added.

Other participating Illinois community college presidents are Curtis Oldfield of Spoon River in Canton and Michael Dreith of John A. Logan in Carterville.

The forum is in response to the Obama Administration’s Startup America Call to Action to stimulate economic growth state-by-state by encouraging entrepreneurs to start their own businesses. NACCE is a founding affiliate of the Startup America Partnership, an alliance of the country’s most innovative entrepreneurs, corporations, universities, foundations, and other leaders.

According to NACCE Executive Director, Heather Van Sickle, the forum is a way for community colleges to advance entrepreneurship and create jobs across the country. Participating presidents make five commitments:

• Develop transparency of community college and community assets

• Create internal and external teams dedicated to entrepreneurship

• Increase entrepreneurs’ engagement in community colleges

• Engage in industry cluster development

• Create broad exposure to their college’s commitment to entrepreneurship.

"The five commitments were developed based on NACCE’s observations of what was working best on member campuses,” said Van Sickle.

"After observing the entrepreneurship-related activities of our members over a period of years, we started to see commonalities among the more successful institutions. One of the major things that clearly make a difference is the commitment by leadership to entrepreneurship.”

The NACCE, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, is an organization of educators, entrepreneurs, and distinguished business development professionals providing quality programs and services in entrepreneurship education and serving as advocates community-based entrepreneurship. Founded in 2002, NACCE is at the heart of the "entrepreneurship movement.”

Through membership, an annual conference and exhibition, a quarterly journal, monthly webinars and podcasts, a dynamic list-serv, and other resources, NACCE serves as the hub for the dissemination and integration of knowledge and successful practices regarding entrepreneurship education and student business incubation. For information, visit www.nacce.com.

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