Center for Faithful Leadership consulting program connects classroom to the real world

There are no shortages of incubators, accelerators, meetups, services, organizations or resources to help an entrepreneur take an idea to launch in West Michigan. Every program is directly and indirectly connected, and all do some very interesting work. But you could make a case for Hope College's Center for Faithful Leadership (CFL) being one of the more unique catalysts for entrepreneurship.

The CFL has two different opportunities: an incubator program, where students take their own idea and work towards launch (for example, RingCam, Songs Against Slavery and PetalCab), and a consulting program, which Dr. Steve VanderVeen likes to say is a "bridge between the classroom and the real world."

Describing the consulting program, Dr. VanderVeen says student teams and project leaders are at the core of the model. Teams work with a business client to solve a specific problem and are advised by more experienced project leaders. Both are compensated for their work (clients pay Hope and then Hope compensates the teams). The program also features the services of mentors -- experienced business leaders who are available to guide the process.

Both the incubator program and consulting program require students to take prerequisite classes that help assess their readiness for a more rigorous and non-traditional approach to learning. "The experiences help students discern and apply their learning, gifts, values, and calling; they also help students prepare for work and transition from college," says VanderVeen.

Dr. VanderVeen says he has over 30 students on the CFL Consulting payroll, which is more  than double from the previous year. He says both programs reflect his belief in extending the entrepreneurial classroom beyond traditional classroom experiences. "We can know things from books and lectures and writing papers, but actual experience trying to solve problems and think critically and strategically provides us with deeper understanding, especially about ourselves and the type of work we enjoy and are gifted at doing." He says the model of using coaches and mentors adds to the experience: "We learn even more deeply when accompanied by a coach who helps us leverage our gifts and a mentor who helps us understand our values and priorities. This gives us more authentic courage and confidence when we interview with employers, and it shows:"

Moving forward, Dr. VanderVeen steals a principle of lean startups; constant iteration. "We want to keep improving quality of experience for both students and clients and quantity of students and clients served," he says.

To learn more about the CFL, you can visit the site here.

Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs News Editor