Beginning Spring 2013, students across all majors at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville will have the opportunity to minor in entrepreneurship.

“We needed to be more entrepreneurial.  This is just a part of that recipe,” said Kevin Bernhardt, director of the Pioneer Academic Center of Community Engagement (PACCE).  “The recession has created the need to be more creative and innovative now more than any time in the past.”

“This is not a major; it’s meant to complement whatever your major or passion may be,” said Kathy Neumeister, PACCE marketing specialist.  “We all have seeds planted in the mind, and this is a great way to explore them in a safe college atmosphere without the risks of the real world.”

A thirst for more entrepreneurial opportunities has grown around campus over the past couple of years.  The Pioneer Launch Lab was created last spring in Pioneer Tower to help students with their entrepreneurial undertakings.  A growing number of seminars and competitions have also been offered.

The curriculum of the entrepreneurship minor was developed by the steering committee over the past year, and new classes were created specifically for the minor. The first two will be offered in the spring.

Susan Hansen, a member of the steering committee and chair of the Department of Business and Accounting, expressed the curriculum as a three-part process.

“The first classes are about understanding the process of being an entrepreneur, the next classes are about funding and the final classes are about making it happen,” Hansen said.

The minor is open to all students and has no prerequisites.

“We want students to be able to accommodate their major,”Hansen said.  “Business is a natural fit, but we don’t want to limit it to just business because it can help students across all majors.”

“This minor isn’t just for students who want to start a business, it’s for everybody,” Bernhardt said. “It’s for students looking to be more creative and innovative.”

Students interested in the new entrepreneurship minor can find more information at the public relations department, on the Facebook page for Platteville Entrepreneurship, or the entrepreneurship homepage on the UW-Platteville website.