Best Practices of Small Business Development Centers with Host Institutions

In 1980, the law creating Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) was enacted. As part of the law, funding for local SBDCs comes from both the Small Business Administration (SBA) and a host institution such as a university and/or community college. The relationship between the host institution and the SBDC is not well defined except through the financial commitment. This research was an exploratory investigation to determine the extent in which SBDCs interact, if any, with their host institution. An open-ended survey was designed and distributed to over 600 SBDC Advisors as listed in America’s Small Business Development Centers’ (ASBDC) contact list. A total of 57 surveys were completed by the respondents. This research presents the summary of these questions as to the type of interaction, which students, and what activities these advisors had with the students of their host institution.