Entrepreneurship is one of the oldest practices, but one of the newest to business education. This academic field is growing quickly at Colorado State University thanks to the exceptional faculty and staff members in the management department in the College of Business.
Dawn DeTienne has had a leading role in the development of CSU’s entrepreneurship programs and curriculum in her 10 years at the University. She celebrates this milestone and her dedication to entrepreneurial business this year.
DeTienne has always considered herself a Ram. She earned her MBA at CSU in 1999, and planted her roots in the green and gold. Her entrepreneurial passions led her to pursue her Ph.D. in business and strategy at a neighboring university, then to her first teaching position at Utah State. She was excited to return to Colorado State in 2006 to further develop the entrepreneurship curriculum.
Celebrate! CSU Milestones
Colorado State University employees achieving a decade of service or more this year will be honored at the annual Celebrate! CSU Milestones event Tuesday, May 2, at 4 p.m. in the LSC Grand Ballroom.
DeTienne’s interest in working for Colorado State is attributed to the exceptional faculty. “The Department of Management has some really top entrepreneurship scholars,” she said. “If you asked around the world to name a group of strong entrepreneurship scholars, CSU’s name would come up.”
Prior to December 2016, DeTienne worked as the faculty director of CSU’s Institute of Entrepreneurship. Today, she spends her time on campus connecting with students in the classroom and working on research in the entrepreneurship world.
All about the students
For DeTienne, being a professor is very rewarding. She holds all of her students in high regard and has an emphasis on getting to know each of them individually.
Even outside of class, she loves to work with her students on business ventures of their own. Whether she is asked to help with an acquisition or a third business, she is always willing to jump in to help her students reach their goals.
“I love the work ethic that the students here have,” said DeTienne. “A lot of them who start ventures come back with questions or to tell me about their successes.”
Her extensive knowledge of the field has also helped the college develop a minor in entrepreneurship. This leap will help to expand the knowledge of the field across campus. Today, her classes consist of 20 percent non-business students and she believes that diversity of the different majors will bring in unique prospective and help everyone’s learning experience. “I think we will even see better businesses come out of this,” she said.
Furthering understanding
When she is not in the classroom, DeTienne is conducting research on gender and exiting in entrepreneurial business. Her excitement for the field makes this part of her job the cherry on top.
“Getting paid to learn is pretty fun to me. Some days it’s astonishing, I just kind of have to pinch myself,” she said.
DeTienne’s hard work does not go unnoticed. She was recently elected to the Five Year Leadership track for the Academy of Management, where she is learning to develop her skills as a leader in entrepreneurship with people from all over the world.
Her passion for this field is even evident through her life outside of Colorado State. She and her husband have dedicated their time to several small business ventures, most in the service-based arena.
