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"Students who live together, study together, go to class together, and pursue common goals together do better." —J.D. Mackin, Central Michigan University rooms, conference rooms, an extensive entrepreneurship library, ten incubator rooms, and a machine shop—in short, everything a young entrepreneur might need to bring his innovation from idea to reality. AEP @ Weatherford, as the program is called, was con- ceived partly as a way for the College of Business to add value to a very tech-oriented campuswith a strong engineering pro- gram. The focus on entrepreneurship was a natural one, since the majority of Oregon businesses are small- and medium- sized enterprises. "We wanted to fill the gap between discov- ery and market in a way that enriches education and scholar- ship while spawning economic development for the region," Words to Live By A business residential college is not a project to undertake lightly. Administrators considering the costs and benefits of such an endeavor should consider five pieces of advice: 1. Do thorough research. Talk to other schools that have set up residential colleges, whether they're themed or cross-sectional. A wealth of information is available at www.collegiateway.org. The book A Collegiate Way of Living by Mark Ryan also offers insights from a man who was a long-time dean of a Yale residential college. 2. Consider starting small. "Don't bite off too much at once," advises J.D. Mackin of Central Michigan University. "Go slow and build the program up." 3. Allow enough lead time to plan and launch the program. Rob Anson of Boise State reduced his course load last fall so he could devote more time to being faculty-in-resi- dence, but he wishes he'd had the extra time earlier, dur- ing the planning process. He says, "A huge amount of work is involved in defining the concept, recruiting stu- dents, creating posters and letters, and making contacts." 4. Make sure the faculty director is deeply involved. Says Anson, "This would be a terrible flop if I said, 'I'm faculty and I'm above doing this administrative stuff. You guys handle it.' There are so many people who need to come together to organize programs and prepare facilities." 5. Develop trust and open communication among the project partners. At Oregon State, a team of reps from all the par- ties involved meets constantly to brainstorm ideas and work out problems. "We cover marketing, policy, every- thing," says Ilene Kleinsorge of Oregon State University. "We all need to know what everyone else is doing so we don't send conflicting messages externally or internally." 38 BizEd MARCH/APRIL 2005 says Ilene Kleinsorge, Sara Hart Kimball Dean at Oregon State's College of Business. Also opening last fall was The COBE Community, a resi- dential college at the College of Business and Economics at Boise State in Idaho. "Boise State is an urban institution, and most students live off-campus," says Rob Anson, professor of computer information systems and faculty in residence for The COBE Community. "We're trying to create a greater presence for students in residence and build a community any way we can." Fortuitously, the university was just finishing up a resi- dence hall and apartment-building campaign that allowed the business school to configure some of the new space to suit its needs. The residential college, which can accommo- date 32 students, is located on the fourth floor of Keiser Hall, a new four-year dorm. At Central Michigan University's College of Business Administration in Mount Pleasant, the Business Residential College celebrated the start of its second year by expanding fromtwo floors to four floors inCareyHall, an existing dorm. The program started with 40 students; last fall, 60 enrolled. The BRC is currently a two-year program aimed at freshmen and sophomores who have indicated an interest in business, and its goal is to reinforce that interest so the students go on to degrees and careers in business. "Students who live together, study together, go to class together, and pursue common goals together do better," says J.D.Mackin, director of the BRC. "During our first semester, the average GPA of our students exceeded that of the gener- al student population of the university." Work and Play For students, the advantages of a residential college are part academic and part social. For instance, at Central Michigan's BRC, freshmen can take two required classes right at the dorm—a life skills course and a business course for freshmen. In addition, when those students take other classes on cam- pus, the BRC often blocks out up to 20 seats in those class- rooms so BRC students can maintain their support network within the larger context of the university. AtOregon State'sWeatherfordHall, sophomores, juniors, and seniors who enroll start out as Affiliates. As they show more passion for entrepreneurship, they're eligible to become Associates and then members of Weatherford Academy. At each step more resources are open to them, including better access to the ten incubator spaces. All students will take some of their courses in classrooms at Weatherford Hall and are encouraged to tinker in the machine shop located in the