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The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) recently collaborated with the College of Business to host an HBCU
Entrepreneurship Summit for students interested in starting their own company. This event is part of a regional initiative for HBCU students in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
“We are aiming to share information with these students regarding the SBA’s programs and services that are designed to assist them with starting, growing or expanding their business,” says Janita Stewart, district director for SBA Mississippi. “This event will enhance their knowledge so that they
will know that there is an organization that is able to assist them with their entrepreneurship dreams.”
The U.S. Small Business Administration was created in 1953 to help small business owners and entrepreneurs pursue the American dream. The SBA is the only cabinet-level federal agency fully dedicated to small business and provides counseling, capital, and contracting expertise as the nation’s only go-to resource and voice for small companies.
Dr. Fidelis Ikem, dean for the College of Business says, “Our students can’t keep depending on everyone else for job opportunities. Tulsa, Oklahoma housed Black Wallstreet so, historically, we do have examples in which people thrived beyond imagination and we need to make efforts to revert back to that era.”
Since its founding, the SBA has delivered millions of loans, loan guarantees, contracts, counseling sessions and other forms of assistance to small businesses.
The SBA provides assistance to inspiring business owners in the following areas:
- Access to capital: offers an array of financing for small businesses from the smallest needs in micro-lending to substantial debt and equity investment capital.
- Entrepreneurial development: provides free counseling and low-cost training to new entrepreneurs and established small businesses in over 1,800 locations.
- Government contracting: sets goals with other federal departments and agencies to award 23 percent in prime contract dollars to small businesses.
- Advocacy: reviews Congressional legislation, testifies on behalf of small businesses, and assesses the impact of regulatory burden on small businesses.
For more information regarding the U.S. Small Business Administration, click here.