Welcome to Meszaros International Center of Entrepreneurship (MICE)

Meszaros International Center of Entrepreneurship (MICE) Foundation, was developed and operates in partnership with the School of Management of the State University of New York at Buffalo to provide instruction in ethical entrepreneurship and financial literacy to participating students. Young people have the greatest potential and opportunity to develop positive attitudes and business behaviors. Entrepreneurial skills can be easily translated to daily life. The training helps young people develop effective work behaviors, personal management talents, and critical thinking skills: all these abilities help an individual become a high-quality human asset.

We encourage you to apply to the Entrepreneurship Training Program (ETP) offered by MICE in partnership with the University at Buffalo School of Management. The ETP will prove to be a bigger and better influences on your life that any college or graduate school that you’ll ever attend. The friendships you make here with classmates, teachers, and guest speakers will be deeper and longer lasting than any developed in other courses you have taken or will take.

The ETP program is a 15-week classroom course that meets every Saturday for three hours at the State University of New York at Buffalo. The program’s instructional approach and course content are unique. Students are taught through a variety of approaches: lectures, readings, group projects, public speaking, guest speakers, professional teachers, and videos. The ETP course book and video series featuring prominent businesspeople has been developed by Joseph Salamone, a co-founder as well as a professor at the University of Buffalo. Before students graduate, a four-week, intensive business plan workshop serves as a capstone to the 15 weeks of mandatory classroom instruction completed by students. The entire program concludes with a formal business plan competition judged by business professionals, followed by formal graduation ceremonies.

Students will be selected for the program based on completion of the MICE/ETP entrance exam and an essay. Class size varies between 30–40 students, and multiple sessions can run simultaneously. MICE’s Buffalo operation of ETP will have representation from inner city, suburban, and rural school districts. Once that goal is achieved, MICE seeks to evolve as the icon of American entrepreneurial training – training that emphasizes high ethical standards, identifies and contributes to the entrepreneurial success of talented individuals, and helps develop personal and leadership skills.

The objectives of MICE are to

The objectives of MICE are to provide you with an opportunity to explore entrepreneurship, realize personal and economic growth, develop high ethical standards, act in socially responsible ways, gain exposure to leadership roles, and act as impetus for change.

The purpose of the program is to seek out talented students who have the aptitude and desire to take on the challenge of a career in entrepreneurship. This effort is directed at assisting youth learn about effective and ethical business practices. The goal is to create and develop entrepreneurial proficiencies among the emerging generation and future leaders of the United States.

We track program enrollments, community recognition and support, student display of entrepreneurial skills, and student transfer of entrepreneurial abilities to social and community settings as indicators of program performance.

We encourage students to pursue their higher education here in Western New York and give them the tools to start their own businesses here. This approach will produce desperately needed economic growth in our community.

Meszaros International Center of Entrepreneurship - Concept Paper

In a world of rapidly evolving technology and globalization, it is increasingly important for individuals to think of their lives entrepreneurial. Regardless of what career path is chosen, being able to leverage the ethical entrepreneurial mindset is critical to success. The MICE's ETP program introduces high school students to this new life framework and inspires them to plan, prioritize, and pursue their own vision.

According to a survey by the Gallup Organization, American high school students know little about entrepreneurship - the backbone of our free-enterprise system, The American Dream. 69% of high school students want to start a small business, but 84% of those surveyed report that they have no preparation to do so. Just 25% of high school students know that the purpose of profits is to reward business for producing what consumers want.