Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) is launching its first ever full ride scholarship to support outstanding and enterprising students entering the entrepreneurial leadership program in the Melville School of Business.
The KPU Entrepreneurial Leadership Degree Full Ride Entrance Scholarship will be awarded annually to a new domestic student embarking on a four-year bachelor of business administration degree in entrepreneurial leadership. The $30,000 award includes tuition, student fees and $3,000 for expenses.
“The Melville School of Business is one of the largest undergraduate business schools in Western Canada and stands as one of the few internationally accredited business schools in B.C. This new scholarship will play a pivotal role in creating new opportunities for the next generation of business leaders and innovators, allowing bright prospects to focus on their educational success,” says Heather Harrison, interim dean at Melville School of Business.
The first scholarship will be awarded to a student beginning this fall. Eligible candidates will be outstanding students with both education and career interests in entrepreneurial leadership, and are able to demonstrate leadership through community involvement and volunteerism.
The award further deepens KPU’s commitment to entrepreneurial leadership, a newly modernized student-focused degree program with a strong emphasis on sustainability and experiential learning.
“We are delighted to offer this award as part of our renewed commitment to this important Melville School of Business program, which equips students with the skills needed to succeed and thrive in a fast-changing world,” says Harrison.
Graduates enter the workforce with the tools to manage, lead, and inspire in any organizational setting, finding careers in enterprise development, management, non-profit organizations, and various leadership roles including their own entrepreneurial ventures.
The program takes a radical, innovative approach to entrepreneurship, says Brad Anderson, a business instructor and program chair.
“We recognize that entrepreneurs come from all walks of life with diverse hopes and dreams. We have, thus, broadened the definition of entrepreneurship from the traditional idea of business creation to value creation,” he says.
“Though value creation includes founding new businesses, it also encompasses social entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, and all other forms of capturing opportunities. We use student-focused teaching methods to help students uncover the direction they wish to direct their entrepreneurial passion. We then arm them with the tools they need to pursue that passion.”
True to KPU’s polytechnic mandate, the program is hands-on, adds Anderson.
“Our faculty are themselves entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, and social entrepreneurs. If a student wishes, they can enter our program with an entrepreneurial idea, receive continual mentorship in developing their concept as they work through their degree, and then launch their venture in senior-level courses under the coaching of our faculty.”
Although the scholarship is a first for KPU in supporting students throughout their entire educational journey at the university, it joins a growing list of entrance awards available to outstanding students. Among them are six $20,000 President’s Scholarship awards, 18 $5,000 Merit Scholarship awards, and three $5,000 Indigenous Merit Scholarship awards.