Students who would like to apply to ELI must submit an application before registering for the Spring ELI Gateway class (PPS 194:Entrepreneurial Leadership and Social Innovation). Applications should be submitted to ELI Social Enterprise Coordinator Della McKinnon at: dom2@duke.edu. Please visit the ELI Updates section for the most up to date information about this year’s application process.

Nik Meliones, ELI student and member of the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club team, described his reason for applying to ELI:

"I have lived in Durham for the last 17 years, and the opportunity to create a lasting social venture in this community was too exciting to turn down. This is a chance to make a real difference in the world, which is something you don't come across every day."

The ELI Gateway course (PPS 194:Entrepreneurial Leadership and Social Innovation) introduces students to the intellectual underpinnings of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial leadership, social innovation and social enterprise development. Through case studies, group projects, meeting with social innovators and exposure to social innovation in the Durham community, ELI students learn the challenges and triumphs of entrepreneurial leadership in areas such as healthcare, education, economic development and environmental conservation. The course culminates when student teams are challenged to develop a research/action project in the summer that confronts a social challenge in an innovative and practical way.  To learn how to design their projects, students examine inspiring models of "best practice" innovations.

Alyssa Pollizzi, ELI student and member of the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club team, described her experience in the ELI Gateway course:

"The gateway course provided me with a foundation of skills that have proven to be extremely useful in process of trying to see an innovative idea to fruition. Even more importantly, the Gateway course helped me to take a deep look at myself as a leader and individual. I now feel like I truly live my life in an entrepreneurial way - taking advantage of every opportunity while letting my passions direct my path."

ELI's DukeEngage-sponsored summer program immerses up to 18 students in a social concern confronting the Durham community. Teams of two to three students partner with one of ELI's strategic partners for 8-10 weeks of collaboration. Through this service internship, students gain an understanding of the root causes of a particular social problem, experience the human dimension of social challenges, and help one of ELI's partners develop plans for a new entrepreneurial service or program.

Click here to read more about Nic and Alyssa's project with the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club.

To read more about the summer experiences of the 2009 ELI students click here.

In the ELI Capstone Course (PPS 144: Social Enterprise Development) students returning from summer immersion experiences are challenged to isolate a specific intervention capable of driving social change through a partner organization in Durham. ELI students spend the semester implementing an entrepreneurial plan that creates sustainable and high-impact social change. This entrepreneurial process could include launching a social enterprise, revolutionizing the practices or procedures of a community partner, or transferring best practices to a community partner. Throughout this process, scholars collaborate with advisors and resources from the Fuqua School of Business, Duke School of Law, and Center for Documentary studies at Duke. All this work is conducted in close collaboration with community partners in order to help sustain the innovation.

Nic Meliones described how it felt when he began the Capstone Course last fall:

"I am so excited about the Capstone Course. We get to continue our work from the summer, which is different from most service-based experiences. During the summer we established many important relationships in the community, and we’ll be able to deepen those relationships in the fall. In addition, the Capstone Course will allow us to work with advisors from the Fuqua School of Business, Duke School of Law, and Center for Documentary Studies at Duke. We have so many resources at our disposal that we feel excited about our project’s potential with the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club."

At the end of the fall semester, select ELI teams may be eligible for additional funding and placement in DUHatch, an incubator for student-led start-up enterprises.