Barnett School of Business and Enterprise
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the business world, Florida Southern
College’s Center for Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (CFEE) is embracing AI to
enhance operations, expand experiential learning and prepare students for the evolving
workplace.
This summer, the CFEE began integrating AI into its operations and student experiences
as part of its commitment to innovation and its goal of preparing students for the
next generation of business.
“We saw the changing landscape in business and technology and realized there was an
opportunity to evolve what we are doing with the center into an AI-enabled program,”
said Justin Heacock, Executive Director of the Center for Free Enterprise & Entrepreneurship.
“Through this integration, it allows us to be more efficient in our operations but
also teach the cutting edge of business and AI integration that make our students
more employable for the next economy.”
One of the center’s major developments is the Morning Grind Agentic Operating System,
a custom platform designed to support its student-run business. Previously, operations
were managed through a static Google Drive system. The new platform uses AI to organize
data, automate workflows and help students spend less time managing routine tasks
and more time growing the business and solving problems.
CFEE also developed their own management software to oversee its incubation program,
events, mentors and clubs. Rather than purchasing existing software that can cost
approximately $20,000 annually, the center used AI to create a customized system tailored
to its needs.
The initiative is also changing how students learn and are assessed. As AI makes it
easier to produce traditional projects, students must develop higher-level skills,
including evaluating AI-generated information, identifying errors and understanding
the decisions behind their work.
“AI is changing how business is done, and our responsibility is to ensure that our
students are prepared not simply to use these tools, but to think critically and creatively
about how they can create value with them,” said Dr. Michael Weber, Dean of the Barney
Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise. “The students learn by doing, and
that is exactly the kind of preparation they will need to lead in a rapidly changing,
AI driven, business environment.”
Heacock echoes these changes, noting how they are designed to move students beyond
simply learning how to use AI and toward understanding how to apply it strategically.
“We can pair these skills with an entrepreneurial mindset that will help them understand
where to go and why,” Heacock said. “Then they can be in control of AI and not have
AI be in control of them.”
Looking ahead, CFEE plans to expand its AI expertise throughout the Barney Barnett
School of Business and Free Enterprise and eventually across FSC, creating new opportunities
for students to turn ideas into action.
