Change the World UF

About Us

Change the World: Student Social Entrepreneurs at UF is a new student organization whose mission is to educate students to think innovatively about social problems in the local community and around the world and empower them to create positive social change.

We’re sponsored by the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and are a service organization through the Center for Leadership & Service. We will soon be a chapter of NetImpact.

Questions? Email Kristin Joos (kristin.joos@cba.ufl.edu) or Sam Baer (sdbaer@ufl.edu).

What is Social Entrepreneurship?

This is an exciting new area that crosses all disciplines and areas of study. Social Entrepreneurship involves learning to think innovatively about social problems around the world and becoming empowered to create change. According to Dees, who coined the term “social entrepreneurship” in 1998, social entrepreneurship involves: adopting a mission to create and sustain social value; recognizing and relentlessly pursuing new opportunities to serve that mission; engaging in a process of continuous innovation, adaptation, and learning; acting boldly without being limited by resources currently in hand; and exhibiting a heightened sense of accountability for the outcomes created. Bill Drayton, the founder of the Ashoka foundation explains Social Entrepreneurship this way: “It's not about giving a person a fish, or teaching them how to fish, it’s about revolutionizing the fishing industry.”

Other Social Entrepreneurship Activities at UF:

In Spring 2006, Dr. Kristin Joos taught Honors Social Entrepreneurship. This class counts towards the Minor in Organizational Leadership for Nonprofits (http://www.cals.ufl.edu/minors/nonprofits/) as well as the Minor in Entrepreneurship (http://www.cba.ufl.edu/fire/programs/undergrad/).

In Spring & Fall 2005 Dr. Arnie Heggestad and Dr. Kristin Joos co-taught FIN6930- Intro to Social Entrepreneurship for graduate students. More information about these courses is available by emailing Dr. Joos.