Center for Commercial and Social Entrepreneurship
Founded in 2013, the Lenoir-Rhyne University Center for Commercial and Social Entrepreneurship (CCSE) looks to be the premier source for quality entrepreneurship education in higher education. The CCSE is complimented by two majors housed in the Snipes School of Business, Commercial and Social Entrepreneurship respectively. The CCSE provides opportunities for students to partner with professionals, and serves as a resource for organizations in all phases of development. Our experienced team does this by leveraging on-campus, corporate, community, and private relationships. The pillars of our program focus on creating an entrepreneurial culture, practical education, social responsibility, business development, and networking.
The program is rooted in the American ideal of free enterprise. The CCSE surrounds students, faculty, staff, and community members in an ecosystem of cross-disciplinary education, counseling, and funding. We do this with the sole intent of building companies and creating local and regional economic growth. Our incubator, housed on the Hickory campus, will raise as many as six companies annually. Companies will include for-profit, as well as, non-profit social enterprises.