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Field Center for Entrepreneurship
About Us
The Lawrence N. Field Center for Entrepreneurship plays a crucial role in establishing the Zicklin School of Business as a leading business school with a specialty in entrepreneurship. The Center brings together the extensive resources of the Zicklin School, Small Business Development Center Business Advisors, and expertise from major corporations and alumni to support the entrepreneurial endeavors of students, start-ups and small businesses. The Center provides educational programs, a networking environment, and counseling help to business from all over New York City.
The Field Center offers non-credit-bearing courses for entrepreneurs that parallel the degree curriculum of Zicklin's MBA program of teaching and research in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management. Technical support and assistance, offered in a clinical environment, is provided by faculty (Field Mentors) and staffed by graduate business student interns (Field Fellows). These students and the Center's alumni are the nucleus for the Center's networking programs. Technical support services include assistance in developing business and marketing plans; evaluating and selecting funding alternatives, accounting systems, and technology; supervising employees; and studying the implications of business decisions.
History
The Field Center was founded in 1993 as the Small Business Lab with a grant from the CUNY Workforce Development Initiative and support from Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business to assist 100-150 New York City residents in starting businesses. Over 400 clients were served in the first year alone. In 1998, the Center was named after Lawrence N. Field in appreciation for his generous contribution.
Since its inception, the Center's role as an engine for economic impact has been substantial - 10,000 clients have been served; over $60 million in debt and equity financing has been secured; and over 1,600 jobs have been saved and 2,000 created. In addition, more than 7,000 persons have attended training workshops in such topics as management, marketing, e-commerce, business plan development, advertising, franchising and home-based businesses.
The Field Center is a unique model for entrepreneurship that brings together faculty, students, and business development advisors.
Lawrence N. Field
Mr. Field has more than three decades of experience in the real estate development business, both in New York City and Southern California. Since 1968 he has been involved in the acquisition and development of more than $400 million of real estate in Southern California for his own account through the Southland Investment Company, the Richlar Partnership, and NSB Associates.
The only child of Hungarian immigrants who owned a neighborhood grocery store in the East Bronx, Mr. Field did not follow his parents' career advice to attend City College, major in education, and become a history teacher. Instead, he attended Baruch College (then "City downtown") where he received a bachelor's degree in Business Administration in 1952. After a stint in the U.S. Army, Mr. Field began pursuing entrepreneurial ventures. "I wanted to go into a business where I could be successful based solely on my ability," he said. To this day, Mr. Field champions the potential of entrepreneurship: "I tell young people that as an entrepreneur you have relatively little competition because 95 percent of the population feels more secure having a job. Most people worry about not getting a paycheck."
Through the continuing generosity and support of Mr. Field and his family, Baruch College is developing a program with a goal to become an internationally acknowledged center for excellence in entrepreneurship. The fully endowed, “Larry and Eris Field Family Chair in Entrepreneurship” is another fine example of the many contributions made by Mr. Field to Baruch College and the Field Center.
Contact:
The Lawrence N. Field Center For Entrepreneurship
Tel: 646-312-4780
Fax: 646-312-4781
Email: FieldCenter@baruch.cuny.edu