{"id":619,"date":"2020-12-10T23:12:46","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T23:12:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.stthom.edu\/encounter\/?p=619"},"modified":"2020-12-17T20:59:49","modified_gmt":"2020-12-17T20:59:49","slug":"woock-at-work-mcnair-center-teaching-the-art-of-entrepreneurship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.stthom.edu\/encounter\/2020\/featured-stories\/woock-at-work-mcnair-center-teaching-the-art-of-entrepreneurship\/","title":{"rendered":"Woock at Work"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">McNair Center: Teaching the Art of Entrepreneurship<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" data-attachment-id=\"620\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogs.stthom.edu\/encounter\/2020\/featured-stories\/woock-at-work-mcnair-center-teaching-the-art-of-entrepreneurship\/attachment\/woockmcnair_blog_600x300\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogs.stthom.edu\/encounter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2020\/12\/WoockMcNair_Blog_600x300.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"600,300\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blogs.stthom.edu\/encounter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2020\/12\/WoockMcNair_Blog_600x300-300x150.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogs.stthom.edu\/encounter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2020\/12\/WoockMcNair_Blog_600x300.jpg\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.stthom.edu\/encounter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2020\/12\/WoockMcNair_Blog_600x300.jpg\" alt=\"WoockMcNair_Blog_600x300\" class=\"wp-image-620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.stthom.edu\/encounter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2020\/12\/WoockMcNair_Blog_600x300.jpg 600w, https:\/\/blogs.stthom.edu\/encounter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2020\/12\/WoockMcNair_Blog_600x300-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Buoyed by gifts totaling more than $1.5 million from The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation, along with a dynamic new director, Dr. Patrick Woock, the UST McNair Center for Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship is poised to continue developing leaders through robust academic offerings, mentorship programs and experiential learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe McNair Center is the engine for tomorrow\u2019s growth,\u201d Woock said. \u201cHere, we support our students\u2019 entrepreneurial and spiritual development, while giving them crucial tools to make a difference in their communities. Students take<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>eye-opening journeys in classes like Zero to Hero, Personal Finance and E-Commerce.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Center exists to promote education and research into the free enterprise system, entrepreneurship and enhanced economic growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cUnder Dr. Woock\u2019s leadership, we are excited to see the McNair Center educate a new generation of entrepreneurial leaders who have the right skills and understand how the system forms the basis of economic opportunity and prosperity in our country,\u201d Kristi Cooper, executive director of The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Led by Experience<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Woock recently served as assistant professor of Cultural Entrepreneurship at University of Minnesota. His international teaching experience includes posts in China and Mexico. Prior to teaching, he built ETT Investments (private equity) in China and served as director for SCORE in Minnesota. Woock earned a Ph.D. in Management Science and Engineering with an emphasis on international entrepreneurship in 2015 from the University of Science and Technology in China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Academic Programs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The McNair Center offers Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Undergraduates<\/strong>, the Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship minor is tailored to each student\u2019s major.<\/li><li><strong>Graduates<\/strong>, the Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship&nbsp;concentration is offered as part of the MBA program.<\/li><li><strong>Certificate program<\/strong> in Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship will be offered by the Center.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Inaugural Intro to Entrepreneurship Class<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This fall, Woock offered his first Intro to Entrepreneurship class. UST junior Omar Al-Eisa, who is majoring in finance and economics, is considering a minor in entrepreneurship. \u201cI am currently starting a business, and I took the Intro to Entrepreneurship class to receive guidance and insight,\u201d he said. \u201cDr. Woock has given me new ideas for success and offered resources based on my needs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>BOLD IDEAS Pitch Competition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to academic offerings, students have opportunities to make their entrepreneurial ideas viable through programs like the UST BOLD IDEAS Pitch Competition. Held annually, alumni, local entrepreneurs and venture capitalists serve as judges. Students enter their ideas in the relevant for-profit or not-for-profit tracks to win $2,000, $3,000 or $5,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Speakers\u2019 Series<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Woock also invites entrepreneurs to his classes to offer tips on how to become a successful entrepreneur. This fall Dr. Ken Buckle \u201983, Jennifer Rocha \u201920 and April Petronella \u201901 visited to share their roads to success. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information, visit <a href=\"http:\/\/stthom.edu\/McNairCenter\">stthom.edu\/McNairCenter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Buoyed by gifts totaling more than $1.5 million from The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation, along with a dynamic new director, Dr. Patrick Woock, the UST McNair Center for Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship is poised to continue developing leaders through robust academic offerings, mentorship programs and experiential learning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":620,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2,5,6,8],"tags":[272,305,309,304,308,303,306,307,288,10],"class_list":["post-619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-faculty-accolades","category-featured-stories","category-giving-opportunities","tag-272","tag-dr-patrick-woock","tag-entrepreneurship","tag-free-enterprise","tag-kristi-cooper","tag-mcnair-center","tag-the-robert-and-janice-mcnair-foundation","tag-ust-bold-ideas-pitch-competition","tag-winter-2020-issue","tag-winter-issue"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.3 - 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