Meritrust Credit Union has pledged $225,000 to the Wichita State Center for Entrepreneurship to fund some of the center’s main outreach programs over the next three years.

 

This donation is the largest corporate gift ever given to the center, said Center for Entrepreneurship interim director Lou Heldman.

 

The center will receive $75,000 a year. This gift will fund the Meritrust Business Booster Series, up to 15 workshops starting next month that will provide information on topics such as innovative business ideas, branding, web development and consumer behavior. These workshops will cost $50 for the general public and $5 for students. 

 

“We have just really superb instructors and these are pretty neat sessions on interesting business subjects,” Heldman said.

 

The donation will also fund the Meritrust Entrepreneurship Forum Series, panels of business leaders or individuals speaking about entrepreneurship. This series begins in the spring and will be free.

 

“At the Center for Entrepreneurship, we believe that every one of our students is innovative, that they have great ideas and if they know how to channel those ideas, they can be turned into a business,” Heldman said. 

 

“When you think about the university, we often talk about preparing students for jobs, to go to work for companies–well, there’s an alternative to that, which is for students to start thier own companies. We’ve had many successful companies started by WSU graduates. We think everyone has good ideas and has the potential to become self-employed.”

 

For more information about the Center for Entrepreneurship and its upcoming series, go to www.wichita.edu/cfe.