Charles H. Diller Jr.
Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation
The Charles H. Diller Jr. Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation works toward: Improving the awareness of entrepreneurship as a career choice and as a crucially important economic activity among the campus community. Raising the profile of Shippensburg University as an attractive place to study, work, and visit. Facilitating the members of the campus community to enter the entrepreneurial career. Provide members of the entrepreneurial ecosystem access to co-operate with and participate in the entrepreneurial projects of the campus community.
The center also provides additional funding for:
- student competitions
- speakers
- entrepreneurship mentors
- student organizations
- seminars
- conferences and other opportunities
Diller Center
The Diller Center is here for our students, visit us to discuss entrepreneurship, business ideas, mentorships, campus life, COVID life, campus groups and anything else that Ship Students are looking for help with!
Rebecca Gardner
Assistant Director - Charles H. Diller, Jr. Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation
Entrepreneurship & Business Outreach
Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education Business Plan Competition is an opportunity for students attending one of the State System's 14 state-owned universities to compete for prize money of up to $10,000 for their innovative ideas. Winners receive prize money to assist in making their dreams of becoming an entrepreneur come true.
All competitors are encouraged to use their imagination to create their best business ideas. Each university has faculty and staff who are dedicated to providing personal attention to students' ideas to prepare them for launch in today's marketplace. A team of judges reviews the business plans, and the finalists, as well as all of the competitors, are recognized at an awards ceremony.
Ship Tank is a pitch contest to encourage entrepreneurial thinking within the Shippensburg University student body. Ship Tank will be held on March 31, 2021 and will be open to the public.
More information coming soon!
Thank you to all of the 2020 ShipTank Participants!
2020 Ship Tank Winners
First Place - Sarah Berg "Pack Tank"
Second Place - Jiciana Knight "Ship Soul Inc., Food Truck"
Third Place - Chris Lehman "Environmentally Friendly Cement Substitutes"
Fourth Place - Michael Hildebrand "Raser"
Fifth Place - Kendal Clewell "Helping Handbags"
Global Entrepreneurship Week USA is November 10- 15, 2020
During one week each November, GEW inspires people everywhere through local, national and global activities designed to help them explore their potential as self-starters and innovators. GEW is celebrated in 160 countries as the flagship campaign of the Global Entrepreneurship Network.
November 10th | Join Zoom Meeting 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
3 Day Startup is a 72-hour learning-by-doing workshop that teaches entrepreneurial skills in an inspiring, hands-on environment.
WHAT HAPPENS AT A 3DS PROGRAM?
Bootcamp (1-2 weeks before program date): Participants meet, get introduced to key entrepreneurship principles, and learn best practices for maximizing the 3 Day Startup program experience.
Day 1: Participants arrive – with or without startup ideas – and a facilitator leads the group through dedicated brainstorming, preliminary pitches/feedback, and team selection modules. Some teams work late into the night and others prefer to rest up in preparation for day 2.
Day 2: Customer discovery (teams exit the building or hit the phones and talk to potential customers), structured mentorship, intermediate pitches and feedback sessions. Day 2 places heavy emphasis on business model generation.
Day 3: Continued execution (including pitch workshops) leading into final pitches/demos to an esteemed panel of mentors and investors.
For more information check out :
3 Day Startup - How Students Get Started
3 Day Startup is the world's leading experiential entrepreneurship education program. We help students of all kinds start companies.
Innovation Hour Series:
- Four events are held each academic year to facilitate and encourage Innovation within the Shippensburg Community.
- Innovation Hour Mixers take place once in the Fall and once in the Spring. Students, Faculty, Alumni, Community and Business leaders are invited to network, connect and discuss the problems and solutions of today and tomorrow. Look for our emails, posters and announcements!
- Innovation Hour Luncheons take place once in the Fall and once in the Spring. Each semester a partner organization, department or project on campus is selected to work side by side with the Diller Center. As part of this selection and sharing of resources, a Luncheon is held whereby faculty and students from all over campus are invited to serve as a diverse think-tank. This think-tank provides direct and indirect feedback, ideas, and opportunity to the partner organization.
Contact DillerCenter@ship.edu to submit a partnership proposal or be included in the selection process.
Fall Semester 2020
Starting on September 15th - 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of September and October, from 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - Zoom in for "How to Start Your Own Business" Business Idea / Innovation Planning, Model, Structure and Pitch Practice opportunities with successful business leaders.
https://ship.zoom.us/j/92502815918
September 10th
Trademark Basics with Craig Morris - Grove Forum - 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Join Zoom Meeting https://ship.zoom.us/j/94332572962
October 22nd
Guest Entrepreneur - Speaker Series -Grove Forum 101 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Join Zoom Meeting https://ship.zoom.us/j/97013250522
October 23rd - 25th
Friday 10/23/2020 4PM - Sunday 10/25/2020 5PM - 3-Day Start-Up Weekend - SU Conference Center
*** This event will be moving to Spring 2021, Date and Time TBD ***
November 10th
Global Entrepreneurship Week - Speaker Series - 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Join Zoom Meeting https://ship.zoom.us/j/99031096010
Spring 2021
Women in Business Week Guest Speaker - March 18th | Grove Forum | 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Speaker Series or Student Entrepreneur/Business Showcase - April 8th | Grove Forum | 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
