Endorsements
- Ms. Kristin Backhaus, Dean of the SUNY New Paltz Business School
- Ms. Stacy Bingham, Director of Career Development, Vassar College; President & Executive Chair, Liberal Arts Career Network
- John Bradley, Executive Director, Vassar College Urban Education Initiative
- Todd E. Pauley, Esq., Office of Entrepreneurial Development, Director, Faith Based and Community Initiatives, U.S. Small Business Administration
- Jonathan M. Holifield, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Executive Office of the President, U.S. Department of Education
“I wish you all the best in this endeavor. It is definitely a great cause and I fully support it.”— Prof. Jay Rao, Babson College
— Observations by Dr. Len Schlesinger, Babson College, President Emeritus
— Dr. Jeffry Timmons, Babson College
— Professor Ed Ryan, Manhattanville College
“I first met Mike Caslin when I joined Babson College as Division Chair. He had been an adjunct faculty member teaching social entrepreneurship and I became his direct supervisor and have known him for 6 years. His strengths are personal interaction, communication, sales and marketing and non-profit/foundation work including NFTE and knows the landscape of social entrepreneurship very well. He has built connections, knows how to do research, collect data and importantly is committed to social mission ventures and non-profits. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses and I observed his teaching on several occasions and there is no question that he engages students in rich discussion and is an enthusiastic presenter…”— Professor Candy Brush, Babson College
“Mike is an uber-connector and consummate entrepreneur- bringing energy and creativity to using entrepreneurship to help develop wealth and diminish poverty especially through NFTE – Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, the extremely successful nonprofit he co-founded.” — Melissa Madzel, Koya Partners
Ms. Gyana Srivastava, Wheaton College (2021) said, “GCSEN gave me the confidence I needed to think out my idea and turn it into a professional level pitch deck. The Draper Competition at Smith College was exciting, and my social venture is now ready to be actualized in India this summer. I really believe in my Gurukul Dance Company social venture and now have the tools I need to actualize it. Thank you GCSEN!”
Ms. Khadeedja Muheto, Wheaton College graduate (2018) said, “GCSEN was the catalyst that gave me the confidence to move into the world of social entrepreneurship. I’m now working for Wheaton College in our WiN Hub Social Entrepreneurship office where I can help others. Fantastic!”
Julia Doo, Wheaton College says, “I make meaning by changing the way we think about biotechnology. I make money by selling courses and giving speeches to students about how they can work in biotech. My confidence to launch a social enterprise has gone from zero to about 85 taking this course. GCSEN definitely gave me the backbone to understand more about business. Over the past semester, I was able to see how this enterprise will fit into my life. I would definitely recommend this experience to other students all around the world.”
Emma T, Student, SE 101 Course, SUNY New Paltz. “This course has given me a great perspective on myself and the business world. I am inspired to commit my life to doing something I love, that helps the planet, and also makes money. Before entering this class, I always knew a that a 9-5 job wasn't enough for me to be satisfied. What I didn't know, was that achieving a different lifestyle is very possible, if you commit yourself to it. This summer, I plan to brainstorm and organize my thoughts regarding my social
venture idea.”
Nate Chretien-Mansur, Wheaton College said, “I make meaning by providing a social app that helps college students get out of their social bubbles, meet new people, and overall improve their social skills on their college campuses. I make money by providing this service to colleges, in a subscription-based platform. At the beginning of the semester, I was probably an 80 in confidence. Now I could be, maybe, around 85, 90, 95. For myself, I know this is what I want to do. I'm not going to stop at anything. So, I would definitely recommend this program to other students that are interested in social entrepreneurship, or just trying to get their ideas to become something. Thanks GCSEN!”
SE 101 Course student at SUNY New Paltz. “First of all, I must say that the class showed me how I can develop my business strategy over time. In the finance chapter classes and coaching, I learned that generating cash and having positive cash flow are the key factors for success. For me, the most important lesson I got from this class is to try again, no matter how many times I’ve failed. Both from the GCSEN chapters and classes, I see that successful people are the ones who did not give up when they failed.”
Zara Salmon, Wheaton College. “I make meaning by ensuring that a plant-based diet is affordable and accessible to everybody, despite their socio-economic status. I make money by running a plant-based café that will support my organic gardens. My confidence as an entrepreneur since the GCSEN experience has definitely grown tremendously. GCSEN really gave me the foundation, and they really taught me about business in a way I've never learned business before. Since then, I am very confident to say that I am an entrepreneur. I would definitely recommend this experience to other students, because, from my experience, seeing where I've grown as an entrepreneur, I just want that for everybody, and I know that GCSEN can instill that into everybody. So, yeah, so, even if you're just slightly interested in business, and you just want to learn more about it, GCSEN is the perfect opportunity for you to do that.”
“I had the pleasure of taking Professor Caslin’s Entrepreneurship class as part of my MBA program. His passion for Social Entrepreneurship, as well as the success of his students is unrivaled. He is both an inspirational leader and a pragmatic businessman. As such he is able to guide his students in developing their business concept from concept to fruition. Professor Caslin was instrumental in encouraging me to pursue my business. He remained in touch long after class was over to make sure I stayed true to my dream and provided me with business contacts and tools to help me along. I wholeheartedly recommend taking his classes if you have the opportunity!"— Yana
“Hi Professor, I just want to thank you once again for an amazing semester. I do hope that in the future you will continue to teach this course. My return on investment from this course is invaluable. It has been one of the few courses that I feel will make a difference in my life. I truly believe that entrepreneurship is the future. Best of luck and I will keep in touch.”— Yu P.
“Hi Professor, I would like to thank you for allowing me to submit my resume and business card a day past due. I would also like to say thank you for introducing me to Luigi Andrade, he gave me some good advice and overall seemed like a very good person. I understand you wanted a few sentences on my decision not to drop out. Overall it was a period of time where bills were piling up, my father was running his business alone without anybody’s help, my brother was studying for the bar exam (leaving him with no time to help my father) and my mother was working five jobs. And to top it off, I was a junior who was a Real Estate Development Major who did not see himself working for a Real Estate firm after graduation and had no clue what I wanted to do in life. So that Monday I skipped my first class of the day and made an appointment in the Star Career Development Center (which i ended up not going to). I then went to the library and started finding articles about life, and how to pick a career which makes you happy. I was lost in my own thoughts and decided I was to drop out by the end of the week. I told nobody, only my girlfriend knew, and the first thing she told me was “So we aren’t going to graduate together?” I immediately hung up on her and realized how important it is to know how to stand alone sometimes. I skipped four out of my five classes and spent the day reading random articles, day dreaming, and jotting down random ideas. Its a bit funny because your class is my fifth class of the day, and that was the only class I went to. I remember thinking during that class while you were playing Eminems track “Lose Yourself” , “God sure has a funny way of timing things”. So i stuck it out, hit the books, made sure all my work was up to date, started taking advantage of all 24 hours in the day. I now work for a restaurant in my neighborhood two days a week, go to school two days a week, five classes a day, hit the gym five times a week, and work for my father three days a week. I recently switched my major to Entrepreneurship, and I am extremely focused. I want to thank you for not only being a great professor, but a great person. Your course helped me remember how strong and wise I am. Thank you."– Anastasios X.
“Dear Prof. Caslin, It’s always be nice to hear from you. I feel like God has been so kind to me for bringing me to know you. I want you to know that I really admire you for your good heart and a lot of great things you have done to others. May your family always be blessed!”— Sothea V.
“ I learned a lot from you during class and really value your insight and opinion.”—Andrew C
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