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Douglass Residential College

Educating Emerging Leaders: The Business and Entrepreneurship House at Douglass Global Village 

The Business and Entrepreneurship House at Douglass Global Village

Despite the increased number of women entering the business world, inequality and underrepresentation—especially in executive-level positions—remain persistent obstacles for American businesswomen. With these barriers in mind, Douglass strives to prepare business students with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the industry. Douglass students interested in business or entrepreneurship not only have access to the resources at Rutgers Business School, but also specialized programming right on the Douglass campus. 

The Business and Entrepreneurship House, one of nine houses making up the Douglass Global Village, seeks to provide academic, professional, and cultural enrichment opportunities to emerging Douglass business leaders. This living-learning community investigates how gender, inequality, and business intersect on the international stage. The students take a special course designed not only to teach best practices and strategies, but also the ethics of doing business in a globalized economic context. Additionally, the students work on developing professional etiquette skills that are key to success in business. Through an intersectional lens, students examine barriers women face in the business sphere and how to overcome said challenges. 

This past year, students had the opportunity to learn about business and entrepreneurship while also focusing on the international issue of displacement, the 2019 Global Village topic. In combination with their business-themed activities, the House participated in cultural enrichment opportunities designed to spark discussion surrounding issues that affect displaced people. The group participated in a service project that assembled care bags for homeless individuals. Service-learning is an intricate part of the Douglass student experience, teaching students that learning happens inside and outside the classroom.

Students emerging from The Business and Entrepreneurship House enter the industry with a valuable skill—the ability to think outside the box and approach business and economic issues from a variety of different perspectives.