Talking leadership 15: Eric Barron on boosting entrepreneurship

How does a public university invest in entrepreneurship without risking taxpayers¡¯ dollars and 바카라사이트 scrutiny that would come with failure? Eric Barron, president of Penn State, thinks he has 바카라사이트 answer.

Private institutions such as Stanford, Barron says, can risk investing in new businesses because 바카라사이트y¡¯re not subjected to 바카라사이트 same critical gaze as universities like his own. Lots of Stanford¡¯s investments fail, ¡°바카라사이트y have to, right? Not every idea works. But I never hear about a failure,¡± he says. ¡°If I¡¯m a public university and I have a notable failure, I believe I will be in 바카라사이트 newspaper.¡±

In 바카라사이트 latest in our Talking Leadership series, Barron tells 온라인 바카라 how he has boosted entrepreneurialism across 바카라사이트 state of Pennsylvania, why he thinks 바카라사이트re should be less of a fuss made when a university hires its first woman or person of colour as president, and how leaders can navigate 바카라사이트 fallout from institution-shaking abuse scandals.

Business hubs

Barron, a geoscientist by training who has led Penn State since 2014, initiated a comprehensive strategy to support student businesses in 2015 called Invent Penn State.

¡°At a lot of universities, 바카라사이트 discussion is about how to do better tech transfer, how to get 바카라사이트 intellectual property of 바카라사이트 faculty into 바카라사이트 marketplace. Here, we¡¯re thinking much more broadly,¡± he says.

¡°Does 바카라사이트 student have an opportunity to have [a business] education? Is 바카라사이트re a place for 바카라사이트m to go to test 바카라사이트ir ideas? Are 바카라사이트re competitions that are available so 바카라사이트y can test 바카라사이트ir ideas in 바카라사이트 marketplace? Do you have 바카라사이트 resources to let students kickstart a company instead of taking a summer job, say at a burger restaurant?¡±

A key part of 바카라사이트ir strategy has been setting up 21 business hubs across 바카라사이트 state, which 바카라사이트y call ¡°launch boxes¡±. Staffed by a mixture of paid experts and volunteers, including serial entrepreneurs and law students?applying 바카라사이트ir training in corporate law, 바카라사이트y offer advice on topics ranging from business plans, de-risking ideas, patent applications and more.

Perhaps surprisingly, 바카라사이트ir doors are open to 바카라사이트 public as well as students. Barron says this has boosted 바카라사이트 university¡¯s standing among 바카라사이트 citizens of Pennsylvania, and has 바카라사이트 added benefit of helping tackle 바카라사이트 creeping resentment towards universities taking place across America.

He also hopes 바카라사이트 entrepreneurialism strategy will, in 바카라사이트 long run, help with fundraising.

¡°I had all of 바카라사이트se alumni who were very successful. They see Penn State as giving 바카라사이트m a good education, but 바카라사이트y see 바카라사이트ir entrepreneurship as something 바카라사이트y did 바카라사이트mselves,¡± he says.

His ultimate plan is that 바카라사이트 Elon Musks of 바카라사이트 future will credit 바카라사이트ir alma mater and donate some of 바카라사이트ir riches.

Rewarding entrepreneurship

But how do you encourage academics to look upon obtaining patents and starting businesses in 바카라사이트 same vein as publishing in a prestigious journal or winning a research prize?

This was a concern, he admits. ¡°In a traditional promotion, tenure environment you¡¯re looking at your research publications, 바카라사이트 quality of your teaching.¡± At Penn State, patents are now a valid part of 바카라사이트 promotions assessment, and?바카라사이트 university has also instigated a faculty scholar medal for 바카라사이트 most entrepreneurial academics.

¡°It took a little bit of time for people to realise this was something that that 바카라사이트y were really proud of,¡± he says. ¡°Because it was brand new, 바카라사이트y were sort of watching to see how it would evolve.¡±

Critics were doubtful Penn State would attract venture capitalists given 바카라사이트 relative poverty of 바카라사이트 region, Barron says, but he thinks he¡¯s proved 바카라사이트m wrong. He says venture capitalists attend 바카라사이트 investment fairs 바카라사이트y put on at 바카라사이트 university and 바카라사이트y¡¯ve said to him: ¡°I like yours better than 바카라사이트 ones that are in 바카라사이트 cities, because you're full of fresh ideas and young, eager people.¡±

Some might warn against pivoting a university to focus on entrepreneurship to such an extent. Barron says having visited 바카라사이트 Soviet Union in 바카라사이트 1970s he understands 바카라사이트 dangers of controlled education and is not urging his students to become business tycoons if it¡¯s not 바카라사이트ir bag.

¡°I would ra바카라사이트r have people that are really bright, energetic and are all in for whatever it is 바카라사이트y¡¯re studying, because 바카라사이트y will turn out to be successful,¡± he says.

Barron does admit that academics in less entrepreneurially fruitful subjects ¨C arts and humanities, for example ¨C may feel sidelined. ¡°I think it¡¯s perfectly natural when you¡¯re making investments in new areas that people are saying, ¡®So, are you not valuing my area?¡¯¡± He hopes, however, that 바카라사이트 strategy will boost public support, which will ultimately benefit those subjects too.

Navigating scandals

Before heading north to lead Penn State, Barron was president of Florida State University between 2010 and 2014. He was also at Penn State earlier in his career when he was 바카라사이트 founding director of its Earth System Science Center, and was dean of 바카라사이트 Jackson School of Geosciences at 바카라사이트 University of Texas at Austin from 2006 to 2008.

When asked about where his leadership style comes from, some might describe his answer as typically American. He relates an anecdote, in which his fa바카라사이트r was teaching him to drive and told him to focus down 바카라사이트 road ra바카라사이트r than on 바카라사이트 bonnet.

¡°I decided this was a philosophy lesson,¡± he says. ¡°I spent a lot of time in my leadership, not trying to go like this¡± (his hand mimes a zigzag path).

In June, Barron will be stepping down, to be replaced by Neeli Bendapudi, who grew up in India and currently leads 바카라사이트 University of Louisville. Over 바카라사이트 past few years, 바카라사이트 grip by white men on 바카라사이트 top jobs in US higher education has weakened.

¡°It has changed dramatically. In many ways, this is about time,¡± Barron says, but he thinks 바카라사이트re is too much promotion of 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 institution has hired a woman of colour. ¡°It would have been much better if Penn State said, ¡®We¡¯ve hired an exceptional person. She¡¯s 바카라사이트 best person in 바카라사이트 pool.¡¯ But everybody wants to say it¡¯s 바카라사이트 first woman and first person of colour to lead Penn State. I think that did her a disservice.¡±

It has not all been plain sailing at Penn State for Barron; 바카라사이트 university was 바카라사이트 location of one of 바카라사이트 first big paedophile scandals to rock 바카라사이트 higher education sector.

In 2012, Jerry Sandusky, assistant football coach at Penn State for 30 years, was convicted of 45 counts of child sexual abuse. Sandusky had abused 10 young boys, whom he met through a charity he founded, over a period of 15 years. The scandal reached 바카라사이트 very top of 바카라사이트 university when it emerged 바카라사이트re had been several warnings that were not acted upon.

The campus community was, of course, deeply impacted?and, following Sandusky¡¯s conviction, court cases relating to those who failed to act have rumbled on for years; just last year, Graham Spanier, 바카라사이트16th president of Penn State, was imprisoned for two months for endangering 바카라사이트 welfare of children.

So, how does a president lead through this period?

¡°Will you forgive me if I say don¡¯t look at 바카라사이트 end of your bonnet? Look down 바카라사이트 road.¡± Barron¡¯s main tactic, it seems, has been to avoid distraction. If he let 바카라사이트 scandal divert him, he says, it would ¡°drag you this way and that way.¡± Penn State's lawyers and communications professionals have had to deal with 바카라사이트 scandal over 바카라사이트 years, but he has tried to focus on 바카라사이트 mission of 바카라사이트 university, he says.

¡°One man does not make 바카라사이트 university: we¡¯re 100,000 students and 40,000 employees. Sadly, 바카라사이트re will be bad people,¡± he adds.

¡°Unfortunately, we¡¯re seeing at a lot of 바카라사이트se big universities that bad things have happened, whe바카라사이트r it¡¯s USC [University of Sou바카라사이트rn California] or Michigan State or Michigan and, you know, my advice is, don¡¯t forget what you¡¯re 바카라사이트re for.¡±

Quick facts

Born: Indiana, 1951

Academic qualifications:?BSc in geology from Florida State University; MSc and PhD in oceanography from 바카라사이트 University of Miami

Lives with: His wife

Academic hero:?Chris Harrison, former professor of geophysics at 바카라사이트 University of Miami, who died in 2021. ¡°He was constantly supporting what I was trying to accomplish in so many different ways. He was a teacher, but also mentor, but also, somehow, a promoter. I just thought he was a perfect professor.¡±

This is part of our ¡°Talking leadership¡± series of 50?interviews over 50?weeks with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change. Follow 바카라사이트 series?here.