University of Pikeville to present paper at USABE Conference

University of Pikeville Coleman College of Business Professor David Snow will present a paper on youth entrepreneurial attitudes in Eastern Kentucky at the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) 2017 conference.

“USASBE is the premier entrepreneurship organization; I am honored my research was judged worthy of presentation at their conference,” Snow said. “I greatly appreciate this recognition and the moral support from the Coleman College of Business and the Kentucky Innovation Network.”

Snow's paper, entitled "Entrepreneurship Elsewhere: Examining the Entrepreneurial Characteristics of Eastern Kentucky Adolescents," found that high school students in Eastern Kentucky do not have high levels of entrepreneurial attitudes -- and that up to 54 percent of Eastern Kentucky seniors plan to leave the area for school or careers and do not intend to return.

The paper further proposed several methods to combat these changes, such as creating high school entrepreneurship programs in the region, such as the one Snow implemented over the course of this year at seven Kentucky high schools.

“These young people developed very innovative business ideas,” he said. “Eastern Kentucky students have the potential to be highly entrepreneurial. They simply need the exposure to the curriculum and knowledgeable leadership to provide guidance.”