Moser Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership Launched at Carson-Newman

The future of creative enterprise received a boost Tuesday as Carson-Newman University unveiled the new Moser Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, expanding learning opportunities for both students and the business community alike.

Named in honor of sixth generation Jefferson County entrepreneur Jay Moser, the center is designed to develop expanded opportunities in various areas. Curriculum benefits students wanting to enter the business arena as well as regional organizations to grow opportunities in their respective fields.

The launch of the center comes on the heels of development of a new MBA in Entrepreneurial Leadership starting fall 2024 at Carson-Newman

“The distinctiveness of the Moser Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership is multi-faceted,” said Charles A. Fowler, president of Carson-Newman. “First, both the MBA program and the Moser Center are designed to partner actual entrepreneurs with the great faculty we have here at Mossy Creek. Second, instruction and curriculum development, in line with the mission of our University, uses a Christ-centered approach, looking at the business world from a biblical worldview.”

Calling it the backbone of American productivity, Moser said creativity is critical in growing industry, both small and large. Adapting to the changes businesses face, ranging from competition, a stagnant market or a disruptive pandemic, all are components enhanced by developing entrepreneurs in leadership.

 “There were a lot of people Carson-Newman could have named this center after,” said Moser. “In my career, I have simply tried to find a need and work in businesses that help address that need. As a result, my family and I have been involved in a lot of different enterprises. I am a sixth-generation Jefferson County businessman and my grandkids make that eight generations. It has taken some entrepreneurship along the way to last that long. It is an honor to have my name associated with such a program.”

This latest academic offering at Carson-Newman ties into the business framework of East Tennessee and the Southeast Region as a whole. According to the latest information from the U.S. Small Business Administration, 99.5% of establishments in Tennessee are considered small businesses. Small businesses employ more than 1.2 million people in the Volunteer state. OnStartUps.com states nearly half, 48.1%, of entrepreneurs grew up in a family business.

With an enrollment topping 2,000 with students from more than 40 states and 40 countries, Carson-Newman itself creates an $84 million economic impact on Jefferson County and the surrounding area each year. Adding programs in the classroom just makes sense said University Provost Dr. Jeremy J. Buckner.

“Whether an incoming student with incredible ideas, a current student who wants to establish his or her own business or leaders at an existing business who are interested in their workforce looking at their future through a different lens, this center provides opportunities to address all those areas and to do it through a Christ-centered focus,” Buckner said. “Our goal is not to just teach a subject at Carson-Newman but develop the person.”

For more information about the Moser Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership or the MBA program, please visit: www.cn.edu/mosercenter