Johanson Entrepreneurship Fellows Program (formerly the Coleman Fellows Program) was launched at Fresno State in 2005. Since then, more than 30 faculty members have received fellowships to assist in their efforts to infuse entrepreneurship into their courses and develop research in the areas of innovation and entrepreneurship in their respective fields.

The program offers professional development funds to selected faculty members to support the development of curricula infusing elements of entrepreneurship into an existing course or for the creation of a new course with entrepreneurial content in their academic discipline. Of particular interest are proposals seeking to develop curricula in non-traditional business areas, impacting large numbers of students. Proposals having a high probability for multi-year offerings will receive the highest priority. Full-time faculty members from all disciplines across campus are eligible to apply for the Johanson Entrepreneurship Fellows Program.

The fellowship will be awarded to a proposal clearly demonstrating how entrepreneurship can be integrated into the subject matter of a specific discipline and provide relevant learning to students. Courses taught by Johanson Entrepreneurship Fellows may serve as electives for students currently pursuing a degree in entrepreneurship at the Craig School of Business.

One fellowship, providing $5,000 in professional development funding, will be awarded for the 2027–28 academic year. A portion of the funding must be used to cover travel and registration expenses for the Experiential Classroom, which is typically held in September at Florida State University. The location and program dates will be shared as soon as they become available. Please refer to the following link for more information about the Experiential Classroom program.

The Fellow is expected to develop the course during fall 2027 with course delivery in spring 2028. The Fellow will work with the executive director of Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the program coordinator of the Johanson Entrepreneurship Fellows Program to develop the course. In subsequent years, the Fellow may be eligible for additional professional development funding, subject to the fulfillment of established criteria and availability of funds.

The application should include the following information:

• A proposal, that includes: a description of the proposed course, limited to 250 words; a list of the course learning objectives; an explanation of how entrepreneurship will be integrated into the course content; and a statement describing how the course will be sustained beyond the 2027-2028 academic year.

• A curriculum vitae of no more than three pages;

• Letters of support from the college or school dean and department chair. The letters should clearly state that the college or school and department are supportive of incorporating the course into the curriculum and offering it during the next three academic years.

In addition, a Johanson Entrepreneurship Fellow is expected to fulfill the following commitments each year in which funding is received:

• Make a minimum of one presentation every year at a Fellows Workshop.

• Encourage students to attend Fellows Workshops and Pay It Forward Speaker Series either as a course requirement or for extra credit.

• Attend monthly Fellows luncheons.

Applicants will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Strength and feasibility of the proposed course.

• Meaningful integration of entrepreneurship and potential student impact.

• Sustainability beyond the fellowship year.

• Support from the department and college or school.

• Likelihood that the course will be offered regularly.

• Number of students potentially impacted by the course revision and to what extent the proposed course broadens the reach of the program (currently there are no Fellows in Kremen School of Education and Human Development or College of Health and Human Services).

• Alignment with the interdisciplinary purpose of the program.

Applications will be reviewed, and selected applicants will be interviewed by a group of current Johanson Entrepreneurship Fellows, followed by the approval of the dean of the Craig School of Business. Applicants will be notified of the award decision by early May 2027.

Submit a proposal through the following online application. Proposals are due by Feb. 15, 2027.