Hold on to your seats ladies and gentleman because Penn State’s very own Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) is coming to University Park, as well as several other branch campuses, next week. This will be Penn State’s ninth GEW, and its biggest one yet.
GEW Penn State had humble beginnings; there were five events hosted at the second GEW Penn State in 2009, which engaged just under 50 students. The event has grown impressively since then. Six years later, in 2015, GEW Penn State was the largest Global Entrepreneurship Week celebration in the country, with 124 events at 10 different Penn State affiliated locations. This celebration drew in more than 5,000 Penn State students, faculty, staff and community participants, according to the GEW Penn State website.
This year, there will be dozens of events happening across the following Penn State campuses: Penn State University Park, Penn State Wilkes-Barre, Penn State Harrisburg, Penn State Behrend, Penn State Worthington/Scranton, Penn State Schuylkill, Penn State Altoona, Penn State Abington, Penn State York, Penn State Lehigh Valley, Penn State Beaver, and Penn State Great Valley.
Though GEW Penn State is considered a separate entity from the Global Entrepreneurship Network, it was founded under the same core principles practiced at other GEWs all over the world. These very principles are also held by our leader, President Eric Barron.
According to the website, “[GEW Penn States] aligns [itself] with President Barron’s imperative to create unique opportunities for student engagement, building upon classroom learning with real-world interactions within and outside of the University community.”
GEW Penn State 2016 at University Park will kick off on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 10 a.m. with a scavenger hunt designed to get students and other members of the community interacting with local businesses. This exciting week of events will conclude on Thursday, Nov. 17 with a speech from Scott and MaryAnn Bubb about their careers as winery owners and operators.
There is a wide range of activities on the agenda for the 2016 GEW. So, students of all majors and interests as well as faculty and staff members are encouraged to attend. A full list of the events as well as additional information about GEW Penn State can be found here.
Often times, the term “entrepreneur” is generalized to mean someone who owns their own business. However, it derives from the French term “entreprendre”, meaning to undertake. Undertaking independence and responsibility for your future is what college is all about. So, come out to GEW Penn State and see what hidden strengths you’re hiding and what you can accomplish as an individual!
