Fulfilling Entrepreneurial Curriculum Needs in Rural Communities

This study determines the degree to which the business-related curricula of Illinois community colleges are meeting the needs of students wishing to start their own businesses.Although Illinois has the third largest community college system in the nation, community colleges, particularly rural schools, face many hurdles that four-year institutions do not.Course catalogs from 38 community colleges were obtained, and 31 of the 48 community colleges in Illinois provided syllabi from various business, management, and accounting courses. An in-depth analysis was performed on the 16 syllabi that referred to courses directly related to entrepreneurship and small business management. Findings suggest that Illinois community colleges offer relatively little preparation in entrepreneurship careers; instead, emphasis is placed on business management concepts related to the functions of managers and executives.Results also indicate that rural community colleges lag behind their urban counterparts.Of the four colleges that offer a formal concentration in entrepreneurial studies, only 25 percent are located in rural areas. (SAA)