Economic & Community Impact Analysis

4.1 - Providing Business and Entrepreneurship Education

HSU initiates free enterprise throughout the region with its many programs dedicated to promoting and teaching an entrepreneurial mindset. The Institute for Entrepreneurship Education (IEE) promotes entrepreneurship education on campus while also collaborating with local businesses. The IEE hosts small business speaker series, and offers courses focused in small business consulting, entrepreneurship, and an entrepreneurship minor for business students. One prominent program under IEE is the Untership program, offering hands-on learning opportunities for graduating sections. Unternships provide a great opportunity for local businesses looking for help on a project. Student Unterns provide 30-40 hours of support to a local business, with mentoring from their business supervisor and the IEE Director.95

Another great resource for students looking to become future entrepreneurs is the Entrepreneurship Club. The club is a campus resource for students, faculty, and community members “who have passionate ideas and need help getting started.”96 Throughout the year the club hosts events and discussions, and helps link students to regional business networks.

Beyond the Unterships offered by IEE, the HSU School of Business gets students actively involved in local businesses through numerous internship opportunities, many of which are paid. Since 2012, HSU business administration students in the Community Internship program have been working directly with local businesses and supporting them on activities ranging from business planning to social media assistance to accounting and finance. Over 100 local businesses and organizations have been served by the Community Internship program, including: Redwood Region Economic Development Commission, Humboldt Bay Harbor District, Humboldt Redwood Company, Green Diamond Resource, Humboldt Distillery, US Forest Service, Coast Central Credit Union, Humboldt Blood Bank, Southern Humboldt Community Healthcare District, Fortuna Chamber, Six Rivers Solar, and many more.97

Additionally, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Internship program provides a critical service to the community in the form of free tax preparation support to low income households in the community. As VITA interns, students meet and interview community members, and use on-line tax preparation programs to prepare accurate and complete Federal and State tax returns for VITA clients, helping clients to maximize tax returns. Another important role of interns is to understand the current tax law and be able to explain its application to the client’s situation. Students who complete this internship program gain the hands of experience that many accounting firms in the area are looking for.98