The Entrepreneurship for the Public Good (EPG) Program at Berea College is a multi-year, immersive learning experience for undergraduate students to practice and implement the Entrepreneurial Mindset and Entrepreneurial Leadership in Central Appalachia and beyond. The EPG Program defines “Entrepreneurial Leadership” as:

The EPG curriculum, teaching approach, and course of study are built from this central definition, and are expressed in the EPG Cycle of Abilities for Entrepreneurial Leadership. That cycle centers on six core learning goals of the program: engaging complexity and uncertainty, exploring values and ethical structures, facilitating group decisions, recognizing opportunity, mobilizing resources, and advocating change.

EPG is a competitive curricular and co-curricular experience. The application and interview cycle takes place during the Fall semester. The program consists of a spring semester course in innovation and entrepreneurial leadership; an intensive, immersive summer institute, which take place during the May term; a Directed Field Experience, and a series of co-curricular learning experiences that take place over the course of an academic year.

In the spring semester course, the newly-admitted EPG cohort students (EPG Associates) learn about the entrepreneurial mindset, leadership, teamwork, and the fundamentals of innovation, design thinking, and entrepreneurship. This is the time when we focus on self-assessment, professional growth and development, and building a powerful cohort identity.

During the May EPG Institute, EPG students practice the cycle of abilities through an exploration of social innovation and entrepreneurship in the region. The program travels extensively, providing leadership and team-building experiences, taking a deep-dive into the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region, meeting with community leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs.

Students must then complete a Directed Field Experience (DFE) over a ten-week period. This can be done immediately following the May institute or in the following summer. The DFE allows each student – or sometimes student teams of two or three – to pursue an entrepreneurial leadership venture of their own design. The DFE can also take the shape of a traditional internship. The EPG faculty works with each student or student team to develop a successful DFE.

In the September following their second summer in the program, each EPG candidate presents a final presentation that reviews their experience.  Participants who demonstrate clear growth and application of the Cycle of Abilities throughout their final presentation and the entire EPG Program are awarded the distinction of EPG Fellow.