At today's meeting of Turner College and TSYS School faculty and staff, the Turner College's Crowley Professor of Entrepreneurship, Kirk Heriot, informed business and computer science faculty and staff that the Turner College's new Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation has been shelved indefinitely. Heriot announced the launch of the new Center in early August, at the Turner College's Fall 2025 kickoff meeting. During that meeting faculty and staff were informed that the Center, which was developed to be mostly for students, would be located in 347 Synovus Center and that it would be working with local non-profits like SCORE, the Columbus Chamber and the Small Business Development Center, in formalizing the existing BizPitch competition and other activities. Later, in early September, Turner Business reported that the new Center's webpage had launched, naming Heriot the Interim Director. That post also indicated that the Center's mission, vision, and advisory board were all articulated on the website. In mid-October Turner Business chatted with Heriot about plans and funding for the Center. However, in announcing the shelving of the Center at today's meeting, Heriot noted that Turner College officials had not followed the appropriate processes for initiating a center. Turner Business, using Google AI, located the details of this formal process, finding that in order "to start a center at a University System of Georgia (USG) institution, [one] must submit a formal proposal detailing the center's purpose, objectives, and budget, and ensure it aligns with the university's mission while addressing needs not met by existing departments. The process involves developing a strategic plan, identifying key personnel and departmental involvement, and obtaining approval from both the institution and the USG, with guidance from the Academic & Student Affairs Handbook."
According to the USG, step one in establishing a center focuses on developing a proposal that defines the need and mission for it, which involves "articulat[ing] how the center's mission supports the university's goals for education, research, or public service and why it's necessary." Next, the center's objectives are to be outlined by "clearly stating what the center aims to achieve." Following this step, one must specify the value-added proposition, which means "explain[ing] why an existing department, school, or college cannot accomplish the mission as effectively as a new center." "Detail Involvement" and "Budget Creation" follow, with the former referring to "identif[ication of] the academic departments and specific personnel who will be initially involved," and the latter meaning "provid[ing] an estimated budget for the first year of operation, including any required space and equipment." Step one concludes with the development of a strategic plan, by which the USG means "develop[ing] a comprehensive plan for the center's initial years." Step two focuses on securing internal approval, which involves submitting the proposal through one's department. According to the USG, "the proposal must first be submitted to your academic department chairperson." In stressing the importance of campus procedures, the USG states that "the proposal will be processed through your institution's internal campus procedures[, after which] . . . the proposal is sent to the Chancellor for approval." Lastly, step three centers around engagement of the USG and outside parties. "It is strongly recommended to engage with the University System of Georgia Office early in the process to discuss viability and fit with strategic priorities." Additionally, "depending on the scope, [one] may need approval from the Board of Regents." Stay connected to Turner Business for more on this story as it develops. As of this afternoon, the Center's webpage remains linked to the Turner College's homepage. That link will need to be deactivated soon. Also, it is not known how the Turner College's transition to new leadership will impact this situation.
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