SUNO to break ground on Small Business Incubator Center, January 13

Southern University New Orleans (SUNO) will break ground on its Small Business Incubator Center during a ceremony Monday, January 13, 2014, at 11:30 a.m. on the Lake Campus lot next to the current College of Business and Public Administration Building.

Several federal, state, and local officials and dignitaries have been invited to attend the event, which will mark the start of construction for the $3 million facility, a part of the University's Small Business Development and Management Institute, under the direction of Cynthia K. Beaulieu. The business incubator, which should be complete in two years, will allow interaction between classroom education and real-world entrepreneurs. In addition to space rented to entrepreneurs, the building will have faculty and staff offices as well as meeting rooms for tenants and students.

"The construction of the Small Business Incubator Center represents another major achievement for Southern University at New Orleans," said SUNO chancellor Victor Ukpolo. "This Incubator will not only benefit the University, but it also will benefit the entire community as it becomes the New Orleans Metropolitan Area’s breeding ground for entrepreneurship."

University administrators expect the business incubator to pay major academic dividends by creating an environment for cross-disciplinary learning and entrepreneurial collaboration between business majors and students from other disciplines, such as social work, education and natural sciences.

"The new facility will support the College of Business and Public Administration by allowing faculty to deliver practical teaching, research and community service," said College of Business dean Igwe Udeh. "It also will allow us to increase our support of job creation and a stronger tax base for the community."

The University currently operates a business incubator that houses 10 businesses at 7240 Crowder Boulevard in eastern New Orleans.