West Virginia Northern Community College Business Program Director Lyndsie Guzek was one of 75 educators from around the world selected to participate in the Experiential Classroom, an intensive three-day professional development clinic focused on entrepreneurship education, at Florida State University’s Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship.

The clinic, held this past week, brought together educators and entrepreneurship program leaders to explore innovative approaches to teaching entrepreneurship, developing entrepreneurship programs and providing students with meaningful, hands-on learning experiences.

As part of the clinic, Guzek had the opportunity to teach a case study to Florida State University students and receive feedback from students and fellow entrepreneurship educators. The experience allowed her to apply her teaching approach in a new setting while gaining insight from other educators and leaders in the field.

“This was an incredible opportunity to learn from people who are doing innovative things in entrepreneurship education around the world,” Guzek said. “Being able to teach a case study to Florida State students and receive immediate feedback was especially valuable. I’m excited to bring what I learned back to Northern and continue finding ways to give our students real-world experiences.”

Guzek’s participation in the clinic builds on her work to expand entrepreneurship education at Northern. She was the driving force behind the creation of the Jack E. Cisney Business & Entrepreneurship Center, which opened last year on the second floor of the historic B&O Building on the Wheeling Campus.

The center serves as a hands-on learning laboratory where students gain experience operating a real business as part of their entrepreneurship coursework and capstone experience. It operates as a student-run apparel business, offering products including T-shirts, sweatshirts, tumblers and other merchandise.

In the center, students are responsible for the various components of running the business, including business planning, marketing, budgeting, sales and financial tracking.

“In the short time I have been here, I have noticed how strongly Northern’s faculty and staff are committed to finding ways for our students to learn by doing,” Langrehr said. “The Jack E. Cisney Business & Entrepreneurship Center is a great example of that commitment. Lyndsie’s work in creating this opportunity, and now bringing new ideas back from a program like the Experiential Classroom, is exactly the kind of initiative that benefits our students and strengthens Northern’s academic programs.”

“Entrepreneurship education is most powerful when students have the opportunity to move beyond the classroom and actually experience what it takes to operate a business,” Guzek said. “The Experiential Classroom left me inspired by the ideas and approaches I saw from educators around the world. I’m excited to bring that energy and those new ideas back to Northern and continue creating opportunities that challenge our students to think like entrepreneurs.”

The Experiential Classroom is jointly offered by Florida State University, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Tampa and the University of Florida. The clinic focuses on sharing effective practices and emerging approaches in entrepreneurship education with educators from across the globe.

For more information about business and entrepreneurship programs at West Virginia Northern Community College, visit WVNCC.edu.

West Virginia Northern Community College’s mission is to educate and empower individuals to achieve academic and career goals, leading to a highly skilled, well-rounded, and accomplished workforce which successfully competes and adapts in a global economy. The College responds to the needs of the region it serves by offering a high-quality learning environment that is accessible, safe, and accommodating while nurturing teamwork and community service. Founded in 1972, WVNCC comprises three campuses situated in New Martinsville, Weirton and Wheeling.