12/9/03

CAPE TOWN CONFERENCE LINKS ALABAMA, SOUTH AFRICA

AUBURN -- A delegation from Auburn University has established links between Alabama and South Africa at an international conference on entrepreneurship organized by AU faculty and administrators.

Experts from five AU colleges and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System played key roles in the "Empowerment Through Entrepreneurship" conference in in Cape Town, South Africa. AU colleges represented were Business, Engineering, Education, Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

Organized by an Auburn-based organization, the conference examined ways to boost regional economic development in a global economy through individual and small-business initiatives.

With the Western Cape of South Africa as a context, the 14 presenters from AU gained fresh perspectives and new ideas for addressing problems in economically stressed sections of West Alabama, said Keenan Grenell, AU's interim assistant provost for multicultural affairs.

Grenell is founder of the African-American Entrepreneurship Summit, which coordinated the November conference. Don-Terry Veal, associate director of AU's Center for Governmental Services, was conference director.

"The purpose was to get South Africans talking about new ways to create business opportunities in their own country, but we learned at least as much from them as they learned from us," said Grenell. "It was truly a symbiotic relationship."

"The conference really opened my eyes to opportunities for collaborative research and outreach between our faculty and professors in the South African universities," said Bill Sauser, associate dean for business and engineering outreach. "There are wonderful opportunities in business, engineering, nursing, education and agriculture."

Grenell said the United States could learn from some of the initiatives South Africa has taken to help entrepreneurs succeed. For instance, he said, the South African government is much more aggressive in use of laws and empowerment charters that encourage and support entrepreneurship among all citizens. Grenell said he plans to explore ways to create similar opportunities in economically stressed areas of the United States.

The conference introduced some South African participants to concepts of entrepreneurship taught at AU and other U.S. universities. However, Grenell said both South Africa and the United States could benefit from more instruction about entrepreneurship in their education systems, especially in K-12.

Veal, who is editor-in-chief of the Entrepreneurship Policy Journal, is compiling a collection of the conferencešs highest-rated papers for publication. He said participants on both continents will collaborate on future projects that will break new ground in entrepreneurial studies.

"In a sense, we were ambassadors for Auburn University and the state of Alabama in a part of the world where there is a great deal of economic potential but where our university and our state were not well known until we went there," said Veal. "We did not go there as trade ambassadors for Alabama, but we were that and much more."

Willie D. Larkin, leadership and organizational development specialist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, said he saw many similarities, good and bad, between South Africa and Alabama. He said both have much potential for development but both need stronger leadership and more attention to personal empowerment at the grassroots level.

Larkin stressed a multidisciplinary approach to produce sustainable communities. Noting that the conference examined success stories as well as challenges, he added, "What I really gained from the trip is that one honest and committed person can make a difference in the world. And, that if one person can persuade one other person to do the same, we can create a whole new order of how we treat people."

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dec03:AU-safrica

CONTACT: Grenell, 334/844-4184.