The University of North Texas's 20 year-old Small Business Institute (SBI) will be reorienting its mission and focus during 1996 as a result of changes in federal funding. The traditional approach of providing free, student-based consulting assistance to small business clients will give way to locally-generated and innovative, fee-based services.

While Congress has not finalized the 1996 budget, the SBI program has little hope for being funded. Both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees voted to eliminate the SBI program, primarily because the Small Business Administration did not retain the SBI in its budget request. All 450 SBI programs at colleges and universities nationwide will be affected.

We saw this change coming and are now implementing contingency plans made years ago to move the SBI to a more entrepreneurial footing. Market research, feasibility studies, and new venture plans have been made on small business assistance opportunities in the North Texas area. As a result, we will roll out a Customer Service Training Program for nonmanagement employees and a Risk Evaluation of Ventures Using Expert Systems (REVUES) program in early 1996. Stay tuned. The best is yet to come!

Dr. Lou Ponthieu, Director