About the ILE

The Institute for Leadership and Entrepreneurship (ILE), is an interdisciplinary Institute that encourages values-based leadership and socially responsible entrepreneurship.

Through workshops, coursework, grants, and a major lecture series (Impact), the ILE empowers our community to account for the economic, social, and environmental impacts of businesses. We bring together students, researchers, business leaders, and social entrepreneurs in ways that stimulate core-level change.

We foster leadership development and collaboration between academia, for-profits, and non-profits, promoting the spirit of entrepreneurship and a broad sensitivity to human-centered values.

Our ultimate goal is to enhance the capacity of Georgia Tech to produce graduates who are motivated and prepared to contribute to just, caring, and sustainable societies.

A Brief History

Former Scheller College Dean Terry C. Blum has the unique position of being able to look at the Scheller College of Business within the larger picture of the Georgia Institute of Technology. In 2006, she set out to fill in some of the gaps she realized existed. Dr. Blum wanted to focus on the ecosystem of entrepreneurship and leadership while encouraging collaborative pedagogy.

When the ILE was founded, the IMPACT Speaker Series and the Leadership Roundtable were incorporated and expanded. Since that time, the ILE has grown programmatically and extended its network of partners both within and beyond Tech's campus. The creation and secured funding for the new Cowan-Turner Program in Servant Leadership is the latest example of ILE's commitment to promoting and fostering socially responsible leadership at Georgia Tech.

Directions to the ILE

The Institute of Leadership and Entrepreneurship is located on the 4th floor of the Scheller College of Business at Technology Square. Our building is on the corner of 5th and Spring Street and is most easily recognized from the street by Barnes and Nobles and Starbucks on the ground floor. If you are traveling by car, please park in the Technology Square Deck, which is located next to the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center at 770 Spring Street where Armstead Place dead ends into Spring Street. The deck costs 75 cents per half hour with a $10 maximum.

If you are not familiar with Technology Square, more detailed directions to the Technology Square Deck can be found on the Scheller College of Business's Directions and Parking Link.

Due to safety issues, all exterior doors of the Scheller College of Business will be locked. You will have to enter through the main doors at 800 West Peachtree Street. You can still park in the Georgia Tech Hotel Deck located 770 Spring Street Northwest.

Once you have parked here are the walking directions. Cross Spring street towards the building and take a left towards 5th street. Take a right on 5th street you will pass Starbucks, Ray’s, and Barrelhouse on your right. Take a right after Barrelhouse and you will see the main doors of the building. (Click here to see a floor plan showing directions to the main entrance.)

Once inside, take a left towards the elevators, go up to the fourth floor, and continue straight out of the elevator. The Institute for Leadership and Entrepreneurship is located in the fourth door on the left.

Welcome!

Partnerships

We believe the partnerships we forge are the best measure of our success in communicating our mission and encouraging others to join us in carrying it out. Our goal – as we strive to be Georgia Tech’s “virtual civil engineers”- is to build bridges within Tech: among students, faculty, staff, and different campus departments.

There are many opportunities for you to be involved with our partners. You can find out more about each organization by following links from this page. If you are intrigued by their work and need advice on how to make the first step towards getting involved please and we will help you get connected with the right people within the organization.

We especially need students who are willing to commit their time and talents. Your engineering, computer programming, or fresh business ideas might be just what our partners are looking for. As a student, you have carved out these years of your life to grow, and the more involved you can be in your community the more enriching your experience at Georgia Tech will be.

Lastly, if you belong to an organization that is interested in becoming one of our partners or you are someone who is interested in supporting the Institute for Leadership and Entrepreneurship financially please and we will be happy to meet with you.

Georgia Tech Startup Competition

The Startup Competition (formerly known as the Business Plan Competition) has been fostering entrepreneurship among Georgia Tech students and alumni since 2002. This popular and well-attended competition creates a learning experience for entrepreneurial business plans. Not only are plans created, but students are encouraged and aided to actually start their business ideas. Please follow the Startup Competition link to learn more about forming a team and entering the competition.

NetImpact

Net Impact is a network of more than 10,000 new-generation leaders committed to using the power of business to improve the world. Georgia Tech has a thriving MBA Chapter and we are excited about the impending formation of a strong Undergraduate Chapter as well. NetImpact’s goal is to improve the world by growing and strengthening a network of leaders who use the power of business to make a positive social, environmental, and economic impact.

Community Partners

One of the great benefits of an Interdisciplinary Institute, especially one housed in one of the nation’s leading universities, is that we are able to form valuable partnerships with many organizations and companies that we share our values with. Our goal is to build long-lasting and mutually beneficial partnerships with our outside partners in an effort to further Georgia Tech’s mission “to provide the state of Georgia with the scientific and technological base, innovation, and workforce it needs to shape a prosperous and sustainable future and quality of life for its citizens.” We are currently collaborating with many different groups on various levels and are looking forward to expanding our network both deeper in the Atlanta community and further out across the globe.