Clifton Taulbert to keynote virtual launch of Southwest’s Entrepreneurship Institute Nov. 4
For more information, contact: Diana Fedinec, Director of Public Relations and Media (901) 333-4247 dfedinec@southwest.tn.edu
Renowned American author, international business consultant and acclaimed speaker Clifton L. Taulbert will keynote the virtual launch of Southwest Tennessee Community College’s M.O.S.T. (Men of Southwest Tennessee) Entrepreneurship Institute Nov. 4, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. The virtual kick-off event is free and open to the public.
Taulbert is a Pulitzer nominated author of 14 books, including the international best-seller Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored, selected by the U.S. government as a gift to Nelson Mandela when he was released from prison. His Eight Habits of the Heart: The Timeless Values that Build Strong Communities prompted Justice Sandra Day O’Conner to invite him to address the U.S. Supreme Court, and his The Last Train North garnered him the Doubleday New Author of the Year award and first African American to win the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award for Non-Fiction. Recognized as a thought leader on community issues, CNN invited Taulbert to the be the “Voice of the Community” at the turn of the millennium.
Taulbert also is president of the Freemount Corporation, a human capital development company in Tulsa, Oklahoma, serving clients from Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, federal agencies, professional organizations and post-secondary institutions. Time Magazine recognized Taulbert as one of America’s outstanding black entrepreneurs and his consulting philosophy has been embraced by many companies, such as Lockheed Martin and Bank of America. Additionally, Taulbert is the President and CEO of Roots Java Coffee - an African American owned national coffee brand.
Project M.O.S.T., now in its 10th year, received $600,000 of renewed funding by the U.S. Department of Education’s Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI) grant to continue its efforts to help first-year African American male students adjust to the college environment, as well as aid in retention and graduation efforts. The Entrepreneurship Institute, an outgrowth of their work, is seed-funded by a $8,500 grant from Southwest’s Student Success Council and designed to infuse an entrepreneurial mindset among all students and the culture of the college through curriculum development, experiential learning opportunities, online ed2go courses, workshops, events and activities, with foundational support from faculty and community stakeholders.
“Our desire from the start in creating the institute is to enhance the retention and graduation efforts of Southwest students by introducing a new way of thinking about themselves and the world that is fueled by a spirit of enterprise,” said Kariem-Abdul Salaam, director of Project M.O.S.T. “The institute is presently for students; however, we intend to make it a permanent part of the college that the entire community can embrace as a center for entrepreneurship.”
To register for the virtual Nov. 4 kick-off event, visit Eventbrite.com and enter “Entrepreneurship Institute Kick Off Event” or access this link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/entrepreneurship-institute-kickoff-event-tickets-126266573721.
For more information about the Entrepreneurship Institute, contact Kariem-Abdul Salaam at atksalaam@southwest.tn.edu.