The University of West Florida Center for Entrepreneurship was developed to promote entrepreneurial spirit, provide mentorship and influence economic growth. Dr. Ranelli, the center’s director, said, “… our first objective was to create a buzz for entrepreneurship among students on campus.”

The center sparks innovation by inviting local successful small business owners to share their stories in Wed. night Forums. The Idea Space at the center also hosts coaching sessions for the annual Da Vinci Innovation Celebration competition. In 2018, UWFCE sent graduate students to a national Masters-level case competition. The students had to apply their class management strategies to solve “an internal problem” for a NASDAQ company. UWF won second place! The center also provides a Job Shadow program where 50 local CEOs allow students to shadow them for a typical corporate day.

Dr. Ranelli believes that the students that are exposed to these interactions and mentorship with small business owners receive benefits that also extend into the greater community. For more information, read the following article from:

https://www.850businessmagazine.com/uwf-center-grooms-entrepreneurs-for-success/