Conference open to college educators, partners and students
ATLANTA, Ga. — Mercer University’s Atlanta campus will host the Innov8GA Fall Conference on Oct. 23, bringing together entrepreneurship educators, students, researchers, entrepreneurs, and business and community leaders from across the state.
This year’s conference theme, “Debunking Entrepreneurial Myths,” will challenge common assumptions about entrepreneurship and explore how research, education and real-world experience can help us rethink how entrepreneurship is taught and practiced. The conference is designed to create conversations across disciplines and institutions and is open to anyone interested in entrepreneurship or entrepreneurship education.
Throughout the day, participants will have opportunities to hear from educators and practitioners, engage in discussions around common entrepreneurship myths, connect research with practice, and network with entrepreneurship students and faculty from colleges and universities across Georgia.
“Entrepreneurship education is at its best when students learn from different perspectives, gain hands-on experience and connect with the communities around them,” said Julie Petherbridge, Ph.D., dean of Mercer’s Stetson-Hatcher School of Business. “Innov8GA gives us a chance to challenge some of the common assumptions about entrepreneurship, learn from educators and entrepreneurs across Georgia and build partnerships that help our students become resilient, collaborative business leaders.”
Briana Sell Stenard, Ph.D., associate professor of management and entrepreneurship in the Stetson-Hatcher School of Business, said she’s excited for students to engage with entrepreneurship students and educators from other institutions across Georgia and to “showcase Mercer as part of the statewide entrepreneurship education ecosystem.”
“This year’s theme of ‘Debunking Entrepreneurial Myths’ presents an opportunity to challenge some of the assumptions about entrepreneurship, like you cannot fail or you have to do it alone, and to think more intentionally about what research and experience tell us,” she said.
The conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Administration and Conference Center (ACC) on Mercer’s Atlanta campus. Registration is $40 and includes breakfast and lunch. Students can receive 50% off registration using the discount code INNOV8GAHALF. For more information or to register, visit innov8ga.org.
Summarized Agenda:
8:30 a.m.
Registration/breakfast
9 a.m.
Welcome from Mercer University’s Kellie Appel, J.D., senior vice president for strategic initiatives, and Julie Petherbridge, Ph.D., dean of Stetson-Hatcher School of Business
9:20 a.m.
Student panel
10:20 a.m.
Break
10:30 a.m.
Practitioner panel
11:30 a.m.
Lunch and roundtable networking discussion
1:30 p.m.
Discussion table debrief
2 p.m.
Ecosystem guide
2:30 p.m.
Closing remarks and community announcements
3 p.m.
Adjourn/optional campus tour
