The Ethics of Entrepreneurship Education

How to handle the ethical challenges raised by entrepreneurship education amid its explosive growth in colleges—from the perspective of an educator, administrator, investor, inventor, and former student entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurship is now everywhere on college campuses: from classes and contests to accelerators and incubators spread across diverse departments and programs. These activities cultivate tomorrow’s Facebooks and Googles but can also put profit in conflict with pedagogy. Should faculty keep information about student start-ups confidential? Should universities, or educators personally, invest in student start-ups? Should educators adjudicate disputes between student founders? In The Ethics of Entrepreneurship Education, Kyle Jensen addresses these questions and many others.

This book fills a significant hole in the literature and helps readers think through the everyday ethical problems that arise in campus entrepreneurship. Jensen draws on economics literature, normative ethics, the wisdom of antiquity, and stories from his own wide-ranging experience to guide the discussion, while mixing in a good deal of wit and levity. It is an invaluable resource for all those involved in campus entrepreneurship, from university educators and administrators to students, mentors, investors, donors, and alumni.Preface
1   An Ethical Dilemma
2   University Investment and Involvement in Student Ventures
3   Faculty Investment and Involvement in Student Start-Ups
4   Educators as Intermediaries
5   Problematic Student Start-Ups
6   Start-Ups in the Classroom
7   Should We Even Be Teaching Entrepreneurship?
Epilogue“This thought-provoking book is a must-read for anyone involved in entrepreneurship in higher education. While directed at faculty and university administrators, students will also find excellent advice, avoiding potential grief in their entrepreneurial journeys.”
—Joshua Gans, Professor of Strategic Management and Jeffrey S. Skoll Chair of Technical Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto
 
“Academic innovation in the global marketplace is critical for securing a healthy future. Jensen’s book emerges as a balanced and principled guide through the complexities posed by student entrepreneurs and their academic environments.”
—Katie Rae, CEO and Managing Partner at Engine Ventures
 
“Universities have leaned hard into entrepreneurship. Jensen’s book discusses the dilemmas that has raised and provides practical resolutions. A must-read for everyone from the faculty teaching entrepreneurship to deans, provosts, and presidents.”
—Olav Sorenson, Faculty Director of the Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Anderson School of Management, UCLA; 2018 recipient of the Global Award for Entrepreneurship ResearchKyle Jensen is Senior Lecturer, Associate Dean, and Shanna and Eric Bass ’05 Director of Entrepreneurial Programs at the Yale School of Management at Yale University. He cofounded Agrivida, a biotechnology company (acquired by Novus International); PriorSmart, a patent analytics provider (acquired by RPX); and Pit Rho, maker of machine learning software for professional motorsports teams (acquired by GM).