Daytona State College Receives $25,000 Grant from Truist Foundation to Expand Entrepreneurial Education and Training Program

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA (December 13, 2023) – Daytona State College today announced its foundation received a $25,000 grant from Truist Foundation to expand the College’s Entrepreneurial Education and Training program. 

The Truist Foundation grant will allow the Entrepreneurial Education and Training (EET) program to establish a new initiative – Launch to Success. This initiative will focus on helping DSC student-entrepreneurs bring their ideas to market via a new Makerspace outfitted with prototyping equipment, and Truist teammates will mentor students and help them transform their concepts into market-ready products. 

The grant will also support outreach and communications, events and student projects, provide new material for DSC’s Entrepreneurial Resource Center, and Truist will become a co-sponsor of DSC’s annual Falcon Talks event, where students give three-minute presentations on various aspects of the entrepreneurial empowerment process. 

“Our Entrepreneurial Education and Training program has cultivated a culture of entrepreneurism on our campuses and given students an incredible foundation to pursue their dreams,” said Dr. Tom LoBasso, President of Daytona State College. “Truist Foundation’s support for a MakerSpace and having their employees serve as mentors will go a long way toward helping our students achieve their goals.”

Since its start in 2021, DSC’s EET program has trained 57 faculty members to incorporate entrepreneurial curriculum into their classes. More than 1,600 students have been exposed to entrepreneurial mindset training, design thinking and financial management basics.  

The program hosts DSC’s popular annual “Falcon Talks” showcase for students to share their entrepreneurial experiences; supports an IQ Xchange, which connects advanced entrepreneurial students with like-minded individuals who help nurture and curate their ideas helping them to get to the next step – which is the launch; and funds the Entrepreneurial Resource Center – a dedicated creative space where students can develop business ideas and strategies.

“We started this program to help students develop an entrepreneurial mindset and give professors the tools to integrate this training into their curricula,” said Dr. Sherryl Weems, Associate Vice President of the Mary Karl College of Workforce & Continuing Education. “Truist’s support will raise awareness of our entrepreneurial programming and guide the expansion of our reach on campus and in the community.”

“Truist Foundation is proud to partner with Daytona State College and help these young entrepreneurs achieve their dreams,” said Bob Ludlow, market president for Truist. “At Truist, our purpose is to inspire and build better lives and communities, and supporting programs such as this one at Daytona State does exactly that.”

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Offering more than 100 certificate, associate and bachelor’s degree programs, Daytona State College is the leader in education and workforce training needs of Volusia and Flagler counties and beyond. The College enrolls approximately 23,000 students a year at its seven campuses, with graduates serving in critical fields including healthcare, emergency services and public safety, business, education, hospitality, engineering, project management, accounting, computer science, digital media, and more. 

Daytona State has been recognized as a leader in higher education numerous times. U.S. News & World Report ranks the College among the Top Tier Best Online Bachelor’s Programs. The U.S. Department of Education’s College Affordability and Transparency Center ranks DSC among the top 50 most affordable public four-year institutions in the country, with less than half the tuition of the national average. And U.S. News & World Report has ranked DSC among its Top Online Bachelor's Programs for Veterans multiple times.

About Truist Foundation

Truist Foundation is committed to Truist Financial Corporation's (NYSE: TFC) purpose to inspire and build better lives and communities. The Foundation, an endowed private foundation established in 2020 whose operating budget is independent of Truist Financial Corporation, makes strategic investments in a wide variety of nonprofit organizations centered around two focus areas: building career pathways to economic mobility and strengthening small businesses to ensure all communities have an equal opportunity to thrive. Embodying these focus areas are the Foundation's leading initiatives – the Inspire Awards and Where It Starts. Learn more at Truist.com/Foundation.