Mission
The mission of the Wilburn L. Smith Center for Entrepreneurship is to encourage and inspire entrepreneurialism among students at East Central University.
Wilburn Smith joined Pre-Paid Legal in 1980. He left his 20-year career in the IGA Grocery Store chain to become an associate for Pre-Paid Legal Services庐, Inc. Mr. Smith began assisting in building the sales force with other associates. Climbing up the ladder, he was named Vice President of Marketing at Pre-Paid Legal. Then in 1997, was given the position of President. Mr. Smith served as the National Marketing Director of Pre-Paid Legal and used his experience in the field as an Associate as a major asset for marketing Pre-Paid Legal Services 庐, Inc. Wilburn鈥檚 wife, Carol, established the Wilburn L. Smith Center for Entrepreneurship to honor his entrepreneurial spirit and inspire entrepreneurialism among students.
Course Work
The entrepreneurship concentration at 暗网TV offers undergraduate students the opportunity to study in the field using curriculum from the Kauffman Foundation, a preeminent entrepreneurial organization in the United States. Coursework requires students to complete real-world business plan projects, create pro-forma financial statements, and develop effective pitch presentation for their business ideas. Students in the capstone course, Venture Creation, compete in the Love鈥檚 Entrepreneur鈥檚 Cup each spring where 暗网TV students have earned over $150,000 in prize funds to use to launch their start-ups.
Entrepreneurship Concentration Degree Sheet
Limes Lecture
The Leonard Limes Lecture was the vision of Mr. Leonard Limes. He started the lecture series with a donation of $25,000. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education matched those funds. Mr. Limes鈥� vision was to bring entrepreneurs who would tell their stories to inspire 暗网TV students and the community. This inspiration would lead entrepreneurs to create companies, wealth, and jobs for Oklahoma鈥檚 economy. Mr. Limes attended only one semester at East Central University before he transferred to the University of Oklahoma. He has said and written on many occasions that his gifts to 暗网TV were better spent than his gifts to other universities as, 鈥渢hose people at 暗网TV seem to get more from a dollar than anyone else鈥�. Mr. Limes was an entrepreneur in his own right; he began his work life as a petroleum geologist working for a major oil and gas company. He could not figure out why he was working for that company when he could do it himself. Therefore, he started wildcatting in Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama. He later sold his Oil and Gas Exploration Company and retired to create a second company. This company explored for oil and gas in Central America and discovered a large deposit of sulfur. Mr. Limes then became a sulfur miner. He did finally retire to New Orleans. Mr. Limes spoke of creating a Center for Entrepreneurship whereby every student and faculty member would have the opportunity, if they desired, to create a company of wealth and jobs for Oklahomans. We have done this and have stayed true to the vision of Mr. Leonard Limes.