Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies
Illinois Small Business Development Center at Illinois State University
Business Centers within the College of Business provide opportunities for faculty and students to interact with business and industry, helping the college maintain a pulse on the trends affecting corporate America. Partnerships with our alumni and many business organizations are the key to our success in building our students' futures.
Established in 1991, the Katie School of Insurance and Financial Services provides unique programs and educational services for the insurance industry, insurance educators, and insurance consumers through seminars, instruction, research services, student scholarships, and internships. The Katie School offers a premier undergraduate program in Insurance and Risk Management and is the largest program in the nation.
The SBDC was established in March 2005 to help entrepreneurs start a new business or expand and improve an existing business. The SBDC offers one-on-one confidential counseling and low cost seminars and workshops for all phases of business activities. The SBDC serves the on-going needs of 23% more clients than the state average. The Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is partially funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration in partnership with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the College of Business at Illinois State University.
Established in 2002, the Professional Sales Institute is an industry source for research and education. Industry professionals and university peers rank the Institute as one of the top five sales programs in the country and one of only 10 that is professionally accredited by the Professional Society for Sales and Marketing Training. The Institute represents a unique partnership between the business sector and higher education and is recognized as a premier resource for university students and sales professionals in the nation.
Established in 1997, the Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies provides learning opportunities for students including the Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management major and outreach service to the community. The program provides business students an opportunity to apply their curricular knowledge to real world situations. Each participating small business is assigned to a student team. Teams and clients schedule meetings at mutually agreeable times to plan their activities and to discuss completed research and recommendations.