A Fulbright-RAF Scholar’s Experience at the University of Rochester

My name is Vladimir TANASIEV and I am an assistant professor at the Faculty of Power Engineering, within the University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Romania. Via the Fulbright-RAF Scholar Award program, I had the opportunity, together with another five Romanian professors, to study Entrepreneurship at the University of Rochester, NY. Although is difficult to sum up my whole experience, I will try to convey the essence of it.

The entrepreneurial culture in the United States is growing and channeled around universities, with the support of the entrepreneurship centers. I have clearly understood that there are numerous possibilities to support entrepreneurship and it takes time to get the best results –success doesn’t come over night.
Life on campus is quite different from my experience back home. During the whole semester, the students are involved, alongside the theoretical and practical classes, in activities aimed at personal and professional development and networking.

I noticed that USA universities make considerable efforts, both human and financial, to help students think in terms of entrepreneurship, playing in this respect a crucial role in developing the entrepreneurial culture. This continuous effort is strengthened through countless events dedicated to technical, transversal and social topics, contests, debates with investors, etc. The atmosphere created at the university, around students not only helps them to use their imagination, but also offers them the support for turning their ideas into products or services with economic potential.

One question I have come across quite often was “Can entrepreneurship be taught?”. And the answer is yes, it can be taught, but it’s difficult to measure its impact. An entrepreneur can follow this path only when he feels prepared and this decision can take time. I have also learned that many of the success stories are paved with the determination of those who faced several failures before.

To understand the entrepreneurial ecosystem built around the university is one aspect of the problem, but, in order to understand its mission and ways to develop, you need guidance. I will take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to my mentors, Dennis KESSLER and Duncan MORE, who helped me understand how entrepreneurship is cultivated and how it could be institutionalized.

Furthermore, whether I was talking to a salesman at the weekly fair or to a university professor, I could always notice the kindness of the people. I had the same feeling when I was talking to colleagues from other universities and many others. During my whole stay I met nice and hospitable people, interested in our culture and open to future collaborations.
At the same time, I really enjoyed meeting members of the Romanian community from Rochester who helped me and my colleagues adapt smoothly from the very start.

During my professional or leisure trips, I had the opportunity to discover the beauty of the USA, equally present in large cities, small towns and its national parks. These trips offered my colleagues - Dragos Vintila, Mihai Dragomir, Anca Nicolau, Corina Forascu, Alma Pentescu – and myself the context to get to know each other better, to become friends and to work together on future plans.

I take this opportunity to thank all those who supported me when I decided to apply for the Fulbright-RAF competition. This experience really helped me to develop an action plan and to reflect on how I can contribute to the development of entrepreneurial culture in my university.