January 25, 2008

Carter, Sanders win professional scholarships

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois businesses will be the ultimate beneficiaries from professional scholarships awarded to two Southern Illinois University Carbondale staff members.

Emily J. Carter and Kimberly J. Sanders each received a prestigious $400 Coleman Foundation professional scholarship, enabling them to participate in the four-day United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship Conference. The San Antonio, Texas, conference earlier this month focused on the latest entrepreneurial research and educational trends, giving participants enhanced knowledge and expertise that they can use to help the businesses they work with on a daily basis.

Carter is director of Entrepreneurship and Business Development at SIUC's Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center. Sanders is the director of the University Entrepreneurship Center, a Centralia-based partnership between SIUC and the University of Illinois.

"It is an honor to receive this scholarship and to be able to bring this knowledge back to the University and surrounding community," Carter said. She said the highlight of the event "was the keynote address given by world-renowned entrepreneur and venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki, author of 'The Art of the Start'."

The USASBE mission is advancing knowledge and fostering business development via entrepreneurship education and research. The annual entrepreneurship and small business conference is the largest in the world. The organization is a global leader in entrepreneurship research, teaching and application.