Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) across the nation bear the dual responsibility of addressing both the economic and educational disadvantages of their students. In addition to nurturing their students, colleges serving under-resourced communities often face a consistent lack of substantial resources necessary for institutional growth and competitiveness. However, amidst the current innovation revolution, these institutions are being called upon to rapidly accelerate leadership culture, internal processes, and advanced research. Rather than shrinking from this challenge, champions of innovation are rallying around MSIs to promote minority participation and contribution to the innovation ecosystem. These efforts face numerous challenges, both from within the institutions and externally.
Benedict College stands as a leading example of overcoming challenges through a steadfast commitment to culture, improving internal support structures, and service alignment, all driven by entrepreneurship and innovation. By implementing an entrepreneurial ecosystem-building approach through its B.E.S.T. Innovation Lab, the college not only supports founders and scales impact but also leverages the impact produced to aggregate resources to its internal systems to better serve its community. This holistic strategy has positioned Benedict College to lead in its state’s innovation ecosystem. The results demonstrate that an ecosystem-building approach, grounded in enhancing internal support and a cultural commitment to the ecosystem, is instrumental in aligning under-resourced institutions with the resource-rich innovation ecosystem. At the start of 2022, the Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship, headed by Dean Tracy Dunn, used grant funding to launch the Burroughs Enterprise Startup Technology (B.E.S.T.) Innovation Lab. The Lab subsequently rolled out a foundational framework of student entrepreneurial programs with strategic goals to add value to the student community, throughout the college infrastructure, and into the local entrepreneurial community.
In just two years, the Lab successfully achieved these goals and is now positioned to advance its research and knowledge-sharing capacity and advocate for Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU) student and minority entrepreneurship.
An Innovative Approach
The B.E.S.T. Innovation Lab's ecosystem-building approach, promoted by Techstars and the Kauffman Foundation, is detailed in leading startup community-building writings like Brad Feld’s The Startup Community Way and Chris Heivly’s Build the Fort: The Startup Community-Builder’s Field Guide. Through this approach, the Innovation Lab facilitates relationships for all stakeholders at Benedict College, encouraging engagement in entrepreneurial processes both on and off campus for a healthier entrepreneurial ecosystem.
For instance, Innovation Lab student ambassadors are responsible for promoting entrepreneurial culture and the Lab's efforts on and off campus. Through their relationships, Benedict College significantly improved its involvement in the entrepreneurial community. One Lab ambassador interned at a local entrepreneurial support organization (ESO) while also creating a short film with fellow student entrepreneurs. The student leveraged their internship relationship to have the premiere of their production at the ESO’s community innovation center. The organic combination of Benedict College students in a community space increased the Center’s visibility in the community and among students, sparked student interest in entrepreneurial activities, and highlighted the potential for innovation among HBCU students. This single relationship added holistic value to both the local entrepreneurial community and the college.
When addressing challenges and problems, the Innovation Lab’s approach emphasizes the collective perspectives of all pertinent stakeholders, including students, to ensure that the solutions created are effective against complex problems. To solve a campus issue of an unused salon space and defunct program, students from the Lab’s Solution and Consulting Club worked alongside staff members and local entrepreneurs. They developed a program to install a full-time barbershop in the space, paired with entrepreneurial workshops for student barbers, stylists, and cosmetologists. The result was a revenue stream for the college, an added service for students living on campus, and professional development for interested students. By encouraging stakeholders to collaborate and apply entrepreneurship to community needs, the Lab produced a holistic solution benefiting all stakeholders.
By serving as an innovative engine focused on creating solutions for the college and the ecosystem, the B.E.S.T. Innovation Lab can scale the impact of its activities, sending a clear signal of economic value that attracts resources for improving internal support structures and sustaining novel strategic partnerships.
Impact and Influence
The rewards for the various value-adds produced by the Lab have been significant. The Lab has earned over $500,000 in grant funding, with much of the capital allocated to internal capacity building. It has also contributed funding for the complete re-tooling of the Core Lab for the School of Science and Engineering, and sponsored programs and donated equipment for student entrepreneurship to the School of Communication. For the founding School of Business and Entrepreneurship, it has furthered the initiative of entrepreneurship education across the college, helped establish the School as a thought leader in the state innovation ecosystem, and added momentum to other programs of the School.
Now, the college shares its experiences in forums of state, regional, and national innovation networks, contributing the HBCU perspective to current higher education innovation challenges.
Conclusion
The Innovation Lab's impactful work reveals crucial lessons about how historically under-resourced institutions can compete and thrive in today's fast-paced, technology-driven economy. By committing to a culture of innovation, strengthening internal support structures, and aligning services with broader ecosystem needs, the Lab has shown how MSIs can not only survive but lead in the innovation space. Furthermore, the broader innovation ecosystem now has a clear model for the value of collaboration and diverse stakeholder involvement in fostering sustainable growth. Entities such as ESOs, larger universities, economic developers, and startups stand to significantly benefit from strategic partnerships with HBCUs and MSIs. These institutions contribute inventive power, unique perspectives on sustainability and equity, and access to focused resources that enrich the entire ecosystem. For MSIs, the Innovation Lab offers a replicable template for building internal capacity for competitiveness while tackling existing challenges that hinder growth. By leading with ecosystem-building principles, the Lab attracts aligned relationships that yield outsized benefits for the institution and equips students with the essential skills of entrepreneurship and innovation to navigate and ultimately lead in a rapidly evolving industrial landscape. This work challenges all stakeholders to recognize and support MSIs as vital, dynamic contributors to the innovation ecosystem.
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