Social Enterprise
Social Enterprise is broadly defined as an organization or venture that advances its social mission through entrepreneurial earned income strategies.
Social Enterprise combines the innovation associated with entrepreneurship, social consciousness, social accountability and business skills to develop nonprofit and for-profit ventures focused on a social mission.
Some Examples of Social Enterprise
Leading examples of Social Enterprise in North America include Greyston Bakery (which produces
ingredients for Ben & Jerry's ice cream) and Housing Works in New York, Rubicon Programs in
California, and kidsLink in Ontario.
Much of the Social Enterprise field in North America was driven by thinking from the REDF Foundation, which pioneered Social Return on Investment Analysis in connection with funding numerous social enterprises in the San Francisco area, such as Rubicon Programs (an organization that empowers people to move out of poverty and improve their quality of life).
Working Assets, another San Francisco-based company, created a model of Social Enterprise through its mobile, credit card, and long distance services that automatically generate donations to progressive organizations when customers use its services. It has raised more than $50 million for organizations such as Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders, Planned Parenthood and others.
Farmington at the Forefront of Social Enterprise
By offering an exciting new Social Enterprise major, Farmington is again at the forefront of an
important global and social trend.
Nationally, there are currently very few Social Enterprise programs offered at the undergraduate level — it is generally offered only at the graduate school level. This helps to make our new Social Enterprise program extremely valuable for students who are thinking ahead to earning a Master's in Business Administration (M.B.A.), a Master's in Public Administration (M.P.A.) or a degree in law.
Our Social Enterprise Major
The Farmington Social Enterprise major adapts principles from several distinct areas: Entrepreneurship,
Nonprofit Administration, Management, Social Activism and Social Accountability. Social Enterprise
deals with important global issues such as civic engagement, human rights, economic development,
health, the environment, and education.
The Social Enterprise/Entrepreneurship major at Farmington offers four Social Sector Concentrations:
- Globalization and Economic Development
- Environmental Conservation
- Democratization and Governance
- Poverty
Liberal Arts: Preparing You to See the World in a Different Way
A Liberal Arts college such as Farmington provides a wonderful environment for developing social
entrepreneurs. Because liberal arts is a part of everything we do here, you will develop the skills
and awareness of social issues that is particularly effective in developing a social enterprise
"consciousness."
A strong liberal arts background provides a way of seeing and explaining the world in the context of social, cultural, scientific, political and economic frameworks. It also provides you with the tools to think critically and to examine the environments surrounding a variety of social issues.
In addition to taking a variety of classes that will help you to gain a broader perspective of the social sector, Social Enterprise students will also take courses specific to their Social Enterprise Concentration, such as:
- Globalization and Partnership
- Power, Poverty & Society
- Globalization
- Politics of Developing Countries
- Strategic Marketing for Non-Profit Organizations
- Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
- Environmental Regulations
- Development Economics
- Social Problems & Social Change
- Organizational Social Responsibility
- Global Transformations
- Social Science Research Methods
- Civil Society and Social Accountability
- Social Entrepreneurship
- Social Enterprise Leadership
- Environmental Law
- Town and Regional Planning
- Civil Liberties
Make an Immediate Impact on the World
The Social Enterprise major at Farmington is not only about what you learn in the classroom. It also
includes a vital, hands-on, roll up your sleeves and get it done component. Here, you put your classroom
theory into action.
Through your Service-Learning opportunities, your internships, and your participation in various social activism / social service campus organizations you'll be able to make an immediate positive impact on the world.
You'll help other people while you help yourself. It's what some people call "The Farmington
Way."
Contact Us For Details
For additional information about the Social Enterprise major at the University of Maine at Farmington, just contact the UMF Office of Admission:
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Office of Admission
University of Maine at Farmington
246 Main Street
Farmington, Maine 04938-1994
tel 207-778-7050
fax 207-778-8182
TDD/TYY 207-778-7275
umfadmit@maine.edu