Tag: Huizenga Business Innovation Academy

Business Spotlight: Solutions to Poverty Drive Entrepreneurial Professor

When Jose Brache was growing up in the Dominican Republic back in the ‘70s and ‘80s it was easy to find poverty – in fact, it’s still prevalent there. The key for Brache, a professor at the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship, was learning from such conditions.

“I was a Boy Scout and visited many regions of my country and saw the tough reality of many people who were living in the ‘poverty trap,’” he said. “That raised questions and made me think of potential solutions.”

Jose Brache, Ph.D.

Brache’s parents came from humble beginnings and his father became an entrepreneur out of necessity, building a successful real estate development company from nothing. As he watched his father’s progress in the business world, Brache took notes.

“I learned that fundamentally if you are able to find a spot in life where you can create value – and you are flexible and willing to learn from your experiences – you can make a substantial contribution in any field,” he said.

Brache has been living, breathing, and preaching entrepreneurship ever since. He is an economist with a Ph.D. in Management from Adolfo Ibanez University and a Master’s in Applied Economics from Georgetown University. His research interests include international entrepreneurship, open innovation, inter-firm cooperation, SME´s internationalization, technology commercialization, geographic co-location, and innovation management.

Assisting both established and aspiring entrepreneurs with the challenging task of value creation is one of Brache’s passions. He says he strongly believes in building and nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems as a pathway toward stronger and better economies.

Brache, also director of the Huizenga Business Innovation Academy, says that coming to NSU gave him an opportunity to see entrepreneurship from its inception.

“The academy is a fantastic academic and scholarship program,” he said. “Students have the opportunity to get funding and run on-campus businesses. They also have a chance to get seed funding at the end of their program. The sheer possibility of making a contribution to the academy and its students was enough to bring me here.”

Brache’s relocation was quite a testimony to Shark Nation’s magnetism. He arrived at NSU in August 2021 from the University of Auckland in New Zealand, where he spent three years as the director of the Master of Commercialization and Entrepreneurship program.

From an entrepreneurial perspective, New Zealand and Florida see the world through different lenses, Brache says, because of their stark differences in other characteristics.

“New Zealand is a developed nation with one of the highest living standards in all of the world,” he said. “Many of the companies that I had the chance to work with had an orientation toward foreign markets because New Zealand only has a population of about five million people.

“In Florida, nascent businesses are exposed to more growing opportunities because of the size of the market in the country. I observe that many startups have a regional or national orientation instead of an international orientation.”

For Brache, those characteristics create an educational opportunity to instill a broader perspective in the students he teaches at NSU.

“I think that it is our responsibility as educators to show that there are many opportunities for Florida startups in foreign markets,” he said.

Knowledge is a two-way street, Brache says, adding that students at NSU are creative and savvy at identifying and developing innovative business opportunities.

“They are interested in topics that are ‘Best for our World,’” he said. “We have academy students with projects that try to solve environmental challenges, develop healthier foods, improve the wellness of people in the community with apps that tackle anxiety and depression, and contribute to those that are more vulnerable with not-for-profit initiatives.”

Posted 06/05/22

NSU Wins First Place in Stock Market Challenge

NSU’s Collegiate DECA Chapter recently competed and won 1st place in a stock market challenge by SIFMA Foundation. It is an online simulation that challenges teams with building and managing a $100,000 virtual investment portfolio of stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Over 40 college teams from around the nation participated from February through April. Students faced a unique challenge considering that this competition  occurred during one of the most turbulent times in the history of the stock market.

The team included students from the Huizenga Academy/College of Business & Entrepreneurship, Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography, and the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences. Dr. Antonio Figueiredo from the Huizenga College finance department, volunteered as faculty advisor to provide workshops and advice to our student team.

Here is the article announcing the winners  –

https://www.decadirect.org/2020/04/23/collegiate-deca-stock-market-game-session-2-winners-announced/

NSU Names New Dean of the Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship

Andrew Rosman, Ph.D.

Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew Rosman, Ph.D. as the dean of the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship.

“Dean Rosman brings extensive experience to NSU and has a proven track record of success,” said Dr. George Hanbury, President and CEO of Nova Southeastern University. “We look forward to his leadership as he takes the helm of the College of Business.”

In this position, Dr. Rosman will be responsible for developing and enhancing the college’s strategic initiatives, long-term planning and policy setting. He will also lead the faculty and staff in curriculum development, institutional assessment and improvement and will cultivate relationships with alumni and donors.

Dr. Rosman most recently served as dean and professor in the Silberman College of Business at Fairleigh Dickinson University, overseeing programs at its two New Jersey campuses (Metro and Florham) and the Vancouver, British Columbia campus. He led the development of new academic minors targeted to non-business majors and new online graduate degrees. In addition, Dr. Rosman worked with faculty to create minors addressing specific industry needs and business courses tailored for the arts.

He has been actively involved in fundraising, helping secure more than $3.5 million. Rosman’s outreach efforts have included actively engaging the College’s alumni, forming a “Next Gen” Board of Advisors, and creating signature fundraising events such the anniversary of the naming of the College and its successor event, a Hall of Fame dinner.

Prior to joining FDU in 2014, Dean Rosman was the Dean of the College of Management at LIU Post (2012-2104) and a faculty member at the University of Connecticut (1989-2012). While at UConn, he was the founding director of the MS in Accounting Program and served as director from 1998 to 2012. In 2002, this program became the University of Connecticut’s first asynchronous online graduate degree.

Dean Rosman’s primary research focus has been on how decision makers use information with the objective of identifying ways to improve decision behavior. He has published research in the Journal of Accounting and Economics; Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance; Auditing: A Journal of Theory and Practice; Academy of Management Journal; Journal of Behavioral Decision Making; Journal of Business Venturing; Journal of Business Research; Issues in Accounting Education; Behavioral Research in Accounting; Review of Accounting and Finance; and Research in Accounting Regulation.

“I am honored to have been selected to serve as the next dean for NSU’s College of Business,” Dr. Rosman said. “I look forward to helping the college provide students with a competitive edge as we continue to develop new impactful programs focused on providing competitive career advantages to our students. Mr. Huizenga left an amazing legacy both in the business world and in the world of higher education at NSU – my goal is to live up to that legacy by helping today’s students become tomorrow leaders.”

The United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) has recognized Dr. Rosman for developing best practices in online education (2007) and for excellence in distance learning teaching (2011) and he was awarded UConn’s highest teaching distinction, University Fellow, in 2001. He earned his BBA from Hofstra University and his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

 

 

 

 

Huizenga Business Innovation Academy Holds Inaugural Blue Jacket Ceremony

The H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business & Entrepreneurship recently held its inaugural Blue Jacket Ceremony for the class of 2023 Huizenga Business Innovation Academy students. The Huizenga Academy is a one-of-a-kind scholarship program created to develop students’ entrepreneurial skills and to earn a bachelor’s and MBA degree in four years. The program incorporates an entrepreneurial curriculum coupled with co-curricular activities, which result in a monetary investment into their business start-up following graduation.

The Blue Jacket ceremony was held in the Executive Conference Center of the Carl DeSantis building and had standing room only as the parents, family members, NSU staff and faculty watched the group of freshman students receive their blue jackets.

“This ceremony marks a new tradition for the Huizenga College, welcoming you as future leaders and entrepreneurs into the world of business,” said Monica Paneque, Director of the Huizenga Academy. “By wearing these jackets, you become a unique cohort of students who represent the forefront of innovation at NSU.”

The students were also welcomed and congratulated with remarks from the Huizenga College Interim Dean, Ph.D., James Simpson and Professor and Razor’s Edge Shark Cage Director, Cheryl Babcock.

See photos from the Inaugural Blue Jacket Ceremony

 

NSU Provides Entrepreneurial Students with an Edge to Launch Their Business

When students near graduation, they often are asked by family and friends what they plan to do. One unique program is giving them a leg up, with not only a business degree but a $20,000 investment into their business.

Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Huizenga College of Business & Entrepreneurship has created a one-of-a-kind program to develop students’ entrepreneurial skills and to earn a bachelor’s and MBA degree in four years. Known as the Huizenga Business Innovation Academy, the program incorporates an entrepreneurial curriculum coupled with co-curricular activities, which result in the creation of and monetary investment into their business following graduation.

“At NSU, academic excellence, education and professionalism are at the core of who we are and it is a priority for us to develop the next generation of business leaders,” said Dr. George L. Hanbury, president and CEO at NSU. “Students who successfully complete the Huizenga Academy will have an edge when they graduate, enabling them to lead a robust economy.”

Created for traditional first-time university students, the Huizenga Academy has developed a curriculum designed to educate future business leaders. Students will enhance their résumés by participating in a special summer “boot camp” during the first and second years the program. During these sessions, they will create and learn how to run a student business on campus. In addition, they will gain additional hands-on, practical experience with faculty-mentored internships primarily in the South Florida business community. Twenty students from the Huizenga Academy, were selected as “Razor’s Edge Scholars” who will take on campus leadership positions and serve as CEO’s of the student-run businesses.

As part of the program, Huizenga Academy students will receive an $18,000 scholarship that can be earned annually for the first three years by maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA and and active participation in co-currcular events and activities throughout their education. Those who successfully graduate from the Innovation Academy will receive a $20,000 investment from NSU to put towards their business startup.

“This program, which is unique to The Huizenga College at NSU, uses experiential learning to teach the future entrepreneurs,” said Tom Tworoger, D.B.A., chair of the Entrepreneurship Department. “Students will be taught the management skill sets that they will need to succeed in the world of business, as well as expert guidance from our faculty and community business partners. All of the professors from the Entrepreneurship Department have run successful businesses”.

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