City students solve business challenges
Celebrating a new class of Future Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs
Professor Delmonize Smith initiated the Future Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs campus program with students from the Rochester City School District in 2009.
Forty minority junior and high school students from the Rochester City School District—East High, Edison, Benjamin Franklin, Wilson Commencement and School of the Arts, among others—will graduate Saturday after completing an unconventional summer school program at Rochester Institute of Technology’s Saunders College of Business.
The apprentices have been attending the Future Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs (FBLE) program the last 10 weeks—analyzing data from Rochester-based minority companies to develop cost-effective, practical solutions the companies can implement to solve their business challenges. Results of their findings will be presented from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 17 in Max Lowenthal Hall at RIT.
FBLE is under the helm of the business school’s new Center for Urban Entrepreneurship, led by director Delmonize Smith, professor of management in Saunders College.
Smith started the Saturday-sessions program in 2009 to help local youth develop their business, problem-solving and leadership skills through real-world learning. “FBLE is a means to benefit the community through the development of the next generation of business leaders who will be starting and running companies that drive our local economy and create jobs,” he says.
“In the very beginning, I knew there was a need, and we’ve been able to expand the number of students and the number of schools and districts taking part,” says Smith. “I’ve seen some tremendous success stories.”
For more information about the Future Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs program, contact Denise Bell at 585-456-6645.
Recommended News
-
November 21, 2024
!['Various people put their hands together in a circle.']()
Americans agree more than they might think − not knowing this jeopardizes the nation’s shared values
An essay written by Lawrence Torcello, associate professor in the Department of Philosophy, published by The Conversation.
-
November 21, 2024
!['an illustrated image of a pixelated face appears next to the words real or fake.']()
Detecting digital deception
Today, artificial intelligence is being used to manipulate media. At RIT, a team of student and faculty researchers is leading the charge to help journalists and intelligence analysts figure out what is real and what is fake. Their work has more than $2 million in funding from the National Science Foundation and Knight Foundation.
-
November 21, 2024
![two men sit at a table looking at a laptop. A third man leans over the table to look at the laptops screen.]()
In and out of Africa
Africa is rich in natural resources and contains one of the most diverse ecosystems across the globe. The Sahara Desert itself is larger than the continental United States. With all the unique landscapes, wildlife, and growing urban areas, more than 30 RIT faculty have recognized the importance of traveling to the continent, all backed by RIT Global.
-
November 20, 2024
!['Five black men stand in a semicircle in a small garden in Kenya.']()
RIT professor helps to tackle energy access in rural Africa
Williams’ collaborative work tackles the subject of energy access in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2015, the United Nations established Sustainable Development Goal 7 to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.
