THE ROLE OF STUDENT-CENTERED EDUCATION IN STIMULATING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT OF UNIVERSITY GRADUATES

Entrepreneurship plays a major role in the economic growth and development of most modern economies. Measures are being taken by most governments in order to stimulate entrepreneurship, however even more can be done by promoting entrepreneurship in the educational context. According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Global Report (2013) Romania is performing slightly under the average of similar countries when it comes to entrepreneurial activity, is above the average at necessity-driven entrepreneurship and low at innovation driven entrepreneurship. Under these circumstances, a focus on entrepreneurship in higher education is required in order to help Romania bridge the gap to the other efficiency-driven economies. Our study aims to assess the impact of the university level education on the career choices of present entrepreneurs in the Bihor county of Romania. 30 university graduates that are currently running a business have been interviewed regarding the reasons for starting their companies as well as the relationship that they had and have with the university from which they graduated. While some of the entrepreneurs claim that their education had little impact on the decision to become an entrepreneur, most of them believe that it played a big role on their performance and it prepared them somewhat for the challenges they faced once they opened their businesses. Also a large portion of them report being involved in the activity of the university. The participants offered valuable feedback regarding their experience with the university. They also provided considerable information regarding the improvement that they would like to see in the future and how a more student-centered education process could positively impact the development of entrepreneurial spirit and better prepare future graduates to start and run a business. We further discuss the means through which this could be achieved in the context of our institution and other learning institutions that have similar goals and face similar challenges