Students and faculty from the University of Zululand (Unizulu) in Richardsbay, South Africa, are visiting Appalachian State University to collaborate on entrepreneurship education.
A delegation of seven faculty and six students from Unizulu arrived on campus September 25 for the two-week visit to meet with students and faculty from across campus and staff in the Walker College of Business’ Transportation Insight Center for Entrepreneurship.
“Both App State and Unizulu recognize the importance of entrepreneurship in driving economic development in rural communities,” said TICFE Director Erich Schlenker. “This collaboration is expected to generate ideas and programs that will benefit both universities and the communities we serve.”
The University of Zululand recently received a grant from the US Embassy in South Africa to integrate entrepreneurship into curriculums across its university and to launch its own Center for Entrepreneurship.
This one is not the first interaction between the schools. In November/December 2008, an App State delegation led a delegation to South Africa to establish the partnership, and subsequent stateside collaborations have included in arts, science and education disciplines. In the Walker College of Business, Dr. Nana Magigaba (Dr. Makhosazana Faith Vezi-Magigaba), head of Business Management at Unizulu, served as a visiting professor of social entrepreneurship in App State’s Department of Management during the Fall 2019 term. A Unizulu team was on campus in 2021, too, presenting on Innovation Around the World: A Discussion with Global Entrepreneurs. Most recently, a team from App State’s Walker College of Business visited Unizulu in August 2022.
Schelnker said that during this visit, the TICFE staff is sharing ways that App State faculty have incorporated entrepreneurship and innovation into classroom and experiential learning.
The Unizulu team will be on campus through October 7. While they’re here, App State student hosts are serving as hosts.
Faculty, staff and students during the Unizulu visit to App State, September 2022
Photo of faculty, staff and students