Not just the what and how, but also the who: the impact of entrepreneurship educators

Abstract

The profile of entrepreneurship educators is as unexplored as it is diverse. While many studies in entrepreneurship education (EE) look at students and their entrepreneurial learning process (e.g., Peterman and Kennedy, 2003; Fayolle et al., 2006; Pittaway and Cope, 2007; Müller, 2009), they have so far paid little attention to the profiles of educators. Educators’ profiles, however, might play a key role in the quality of delivery of EE. This study therefore aims at filling this research gap by analysing educator profiles and their potential impact. This interdependency has become all the more important in the course of striving towards the “entrepreneurial university” (Clark, 1998). National policymakers have increasingly set the target of developing entrepreneurial profiles for their higher education institutions (HEIs) (cf. Potter, 2008; Schleinkofer and Kulicke, 2009). But building and driving entrepreneurial universities will require faculties with suitable competencies, e.g. building networks between universities and external players.