After attending my first United States Association of Small
Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) conference in
Orlando last month, I was struck by the collegiality of the
attendees, the strong logistical organization of the
conference and the quality of the discourse. For those who
may not be aware of this organization, it is the primary
academic association for business educators having a
scholarly and pedagogical penchant for the entrepreneurial
spirit. I can certainly recommend becoming a member of the
organization and attending their national conference in San
Antonio, Texas next year; not, however, simply for the
reasons just outlined.
USASBE has a number of interest areas and the conference is
organized accordingly; Small Business Entrepreneurship,
Entrepreneurship Pedagogy, Minority and Women
Entrepreneurship, Technology and Life Science
Entrepreneurship and most importantly, a track for those
teaching Entrepreneurship in the Arts. Thanks to an astute
presenter's query to the assembled masses, we learned that
many attendees and members of the Entrepreneurship in the
Arts division where not from the arts - that is, most held
terminal degrees originating from the business school.
Interesting, though not surprising; it was, after all, an
"Entrepreneurship" conference.
I sensed an opportunity.
Actually, the metaphor of nexus - thought of in its
original seventeenth-century definition as a chain or a
link - applied quite well to USASBE's Entrepreneurship in
the Arts division. Specifically, business educators with a
passion for helping Arts students reach their employment
goals - and - Arts educators with an interest in the Arts
businesses and passionate about students' success.
Engaging this diverse makeup proved to be a wonderful and
enlightening experience. During the sessions and
interaction with the members of the division, I was
reminded of the distinction mentioned above. The nexus was
not only the division's members, but their backgrounds -
though that may seem counter-intuitive. At the risk of
producing a binary, there emerged (in my mind )a
distinction, educators from the Arts and those from
business. Yet this binary developed not as an "us-them"
formula but a complimentary experience and skill set held
by these individuals. What united them was a concern - a
genuine concern - that Arts students should be given the
chance to succeed in their Art through entrepreneurship
education.
And what does this have to do with nexus? The revelation
occurred for me during one session when the floor was open
to comments about pedagogy. I noticed that those from the
business school where quite skilled in developing new ways
to think about what Arts students should be learning as
they set about their careers. Aspects of entrepreneurship
education that, quite frankly, I'll use this semester.
Having a strong Arts and Arts industries background myself,
it was exciting (and humbling) to hear new ideas
originating from our parent discipline. Likewise, I noticed
that these same individuals who (at some level) where
providing a clinic on innovative pedagogy, were so open to
understanding the culture of the Arts, Arts training and
the economic environment of the Arts, it was - well -
refreshing and invigorating.
Scholarly and collegial discourse between disciplines, it
seems, was not just a trope after all!
I visualized the nexus thus; a simple Venn diagram, one
business educators, one Arts educators, students as the
shared topography. Everyone I spoke with learned something
about the other educational arena they will bring back to
their institutions. I applaud this community that clearly -
and genuinely - embraces interdisciplinary expertise and
exhibits a true concern for students.
How then, can we strengthen this nexus and become the key
link in the chain between higher education and the stellar
outcomes our students deserve?
Opportunities, opportunities, opportunities...
Gary Beckman
Visiting Assistant Professor
The Carolina Institute for Leadership and Engagement in
Music
School of Music
University of South Carolina
