Reproduced with permission from NeXT Computer, Inc., USA, NeXT on Campus, Spring 1992. ã 1992 NeXT Computer, Inc., USA

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

High school summer program encourages entrepreneurship
University of British Columbia

Shad Valley, a project operated by the Canadian Centre for Creative Technology, is an innovative summer program in technology and entrepreneurship for top students in grades 11 and 12. At eight Canadian universities, 400 students (50 at each site) participate each July in lectures on computing, entrepreneurship and science, hands-on labs, and seminars as well as project work in technology and entrepreneurship.

According to Ron Foreman, director of the University of British Columbia Shad program and associate professor of botany, ªOne of the motives behind this program is to build the `old-boy-and-girl network' of the future.º Already, the 2,500 graduates of the 10-year-old program have started nearly 100 businessesÐan impressive ®gure given that more than 80 percent of the students are still in high school.

When Foreman took over as program director in 1990, he decided to replace the DOS machines that Shad students had used in previous years. ªAlthough the kids were quite pro®cient on the DOS machines, I wanted to use a more powerful platform that would jump out to them as user friendly. Our task is to challenge these kids to the best of our ability and to provide them with the tools to meet the challenge.º

Foreman, who has access to several computers, including a NeXT, says, ªI knew the NeXT machine would be the perfect computer for these students. Since I purchased a NeXT, all my other machines just gather dust. NeXT is a fantastic platform. I currently own PCs, Macs, an AES-Lanier, and a Xerox Documenter System. With its graphical interface, multitasking capabilities, and the object-oriented programming, nothing comes close to NeXT.º

Foreman worked with the UBC Department of Botany and the Dean of Sciences Of®ce to obtain a cluster of NeXT computers that is used to teach undergraduate and graduate botany classes during UBC's academic year and for the Shad program during the summer. ªWhen the Shad kids ®rst saw the NeXT machines, their eyes were like saucers,º says Foreman. ªThey couldn't believe what the machine could do. They couldn't believe what they'd been missing before.º 

During the month that Shad students are at UBC, they set up a ªcompany,º invent and design a product, conduct engineering and marketing evaluations, and develop a business and ®nancial plan. During the ®nal week, they present their business plans to a group of Canadian venture capitalists who have volunteered their time to the program. In the past, student businesses have developed an appliance to crush cans, a revolutionary spinal backboard for aquatic centers, and a new composting technology.

Students primarily use the NeXT machines to develop business and ®nancial plans and the marketing presentation they present to the venture capitalists. Students use applications such as Lotus Improv, WordPerfect, Diagram!, and Mathematica.

ªI've been amazed at the quality of the presentations and plans students prepare,º says Foreman. ªWhen we used PCs, we didn't get the aesthetic quality or the thorough analysis we do now. Students are doing the same work, but they're not just cranking out raw information. They're providing us with 20-year projections in their business plans and a set of ®nancials that consider a variety of scenarios. The marketing materials they create are wonderful; some teams even create individual portfolios for each of the venture capitalists.º

Foreman points out that he and the other nine staff members ªdo not teach in the traditional sense. The students are responsible for running their own projects. Throughout the process, faculty assist students and refer them to other faculty members or businesspeople they might use as consultants. The students provide the energy and direction.º

At UBC, the students are organized into four ªcompanies.º Each company is given 24 hours to make various job assignmentsÐfrom CEO to controller to vice president of sales. Each company is assigned an of®ce containing two NeXTstations. A faculty member presents a half-day seminar on the system at the UBC Computer Science Department's NeXT computer lab. Students also have the option of attending a 12-hour seminar on NeXTSTEP object-oriented programming.

The teams of students put in 12 hour days at Shad. Besides working on their projects, students attend lectures and seminars given by academic and business leaders. In previous years, students have visited a local hospital to learn how a CAT scan operates and a ®lm studio to observe production of  computer-generated television commercials.

Says Foreman, ªThe program debunks many stereotypes about business: that it's boring; that it's for other people, not me. At the end of program, students write reports on their experience. It's not uncommon for them to say, `This has been the best month of my life. I wanted to be a lawyer, but now I'm thinking about becoming an electrical engineer'. We're the envy of the other Shad sites because we have NeXT machines. They really challenge the students.º

RONALD FOREMAN
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF BOTANY
UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
3529-6270 UNIVERSITY BLVD.
VANCOUVER, BC CANADA V6T 1Z4
(604) 822-4672
ron@bio.questor.wimsey.bc.ca