Business Centers

Mike Cottrell School of Business

Small Business Center & Center for Economic Education

The Small Business Center is affiliated with the Small Business Institute (SBI). The SBI program began as a cooperative venture between the U.S. Small Business Administration and approximately 20 universities and colleges in 1972. More than 500 universities and colleges have participated during the 26-year history of the SBI program, with approximately 200 schools participating in 1997. In 1996, the SBI program became independent of the SBA and is currently administered by the Small Business Institute Director's Association (SBIDA).

Helping Small Businesses

The Small Business program bridges the gap between subject competency provide by courses in business and the entry-level training that companies critically need. Teams of qualified university students, under expert faculty supervision, provide consulting to small business owners and managers as part of their educational training at North Georgia College & State University; The emphasis is on practical, realistic, and affordable solutions to problems confronting small businesses.

Small Business Projects

There is not a "typical project". Each client is treated as an individual with unique circumstances. However, there are some business areas that are more frequently covered within these projects. These projects range from market research to cost analysis. Other areas include business planning, financial analysis, location analysis, customer satisfaction assessment, and business feasibility studies. However, even if your particular need is not described in this paragraph, we will help provide you with assistance. The program does not charge a fee for it's services, but does ask that businesses make a small contribution to the program to defray the costs of operation.

The Small Business Center Director

Dr. Elizabeth J. Teal is the director of the Small Business Consulting Program and is a member of the Small Business Institute Director's Association. She joined the faculty at NGCSU after years on the faculty of Baylor University in Texas. She completed her Ph.D. in management from UGA's Terry College of Business. Please feel free to contact her at (706) 864-1619.

Center for Economic Education

North Georgia Center for Economic Education (NCGEE), an ongoing program of the Mike Cottrell School of Business of North Georgia College & State University, exists to increase the level of economic literacy in our North Georgia service area through the improvement of economics instruction in Georgia schools. The center provides in-service teacher training, develops instructional materials, and encourages innovation in economic education.

Consistent with the Vision and Mission of the Georgia Council on Economic Education:

The vision of the North Georgia Council on Economic Education is of students leaving school prepared for their economic roles as workers, consumers, citizens, savers, investors and lifelong decision makers in a globally interdependent world.

The mission of the North Georgia Council on Economic Education is to help teachers teach those students in the public and independent schools of Georgia.

Thanks to the generosity of contributors everywhere, almost all Georgia Council on Economic Education workshops and classroom teaching materials are free to Georgia teachers and their schools. Private funds also mean very low fees for special classroom programs such as the Georgia Stock Market Game.