Panel discussions with renowned social and scientific entrepreneurs, a financial literacy workshop and an entrepreneurship fair highlight Global Entrepreneurship Week activities at the University of North-Carolina at Chapel Hill Nov. 17-23. 

UNC-Chapel Hill joins partners around the globe for this first-ever international celebration of entrepreneurship sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Make Your Mark, Ernest & Young, Euronext, IBM and NYSE.

UNC's activities are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. 

"Entrepreneurs create most of the new jobs in our economy and often lead the way in developing solutions that address pressing societal needs," said John D. Kasarda, director of the Carolina Entrepreneurial Initiative (CEI), which coordinates UNC's Global Entrepreneurship Week activities, and director of the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, which manages the CEI. "We're excited to participate in Global Entrepreneurship Week to draw attention to the valuable role entrepreneurs play in our society and, hopefully, inspire more young people to fulfill their entrepreneurial aspirations." 

Here is UNC's Global Entrepreneurship Week schedule: 

· Carolina Challenge Prep Session, "Idea vs. Opportunities," open to potential competitors (UNC students, faculty and staff) in the 2009 entrepreneurial business-plan competition, Nov. 18, 6 p.m., McColl 2600.

 · UNC Entrepreneurship Fair featuring organizations that support entrepreneurship at UNC, Nov. 19, 12-2 p.m., Student Union, Room 3206.

· Social Entrepreneurship Address and UNC-TV Panel on "The Global Impact of Social Entrepreneurs" featuring GlobalGiving Chairman and CEO Dennis Whittle with panelists Ryan Allis, co-founder of iContact; Jim Johnson, director of the Urban Investment Strategies Center; Kari Leech, co-founder of WaterPLUS; Jim Thomas, founder of Africa Rising; and Joel Thomas, director of Nourish International, Nov. 19, 5:30 p.m., Maurice J. Koury Auditorium, Kenan-Flagler Business School.

 · CEI Research Seminar on "Entrepreneur-Venture Capitalist Matching" featuring David Hsu, Ph.D., The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Nov. 20, 12-1 p.m. seminar, 1-1:30 p.m. Q&A, Hamilton Hall, Room 271. 

· Scientific Entrepreneurship Panel on "Lab to Market: The Scientific Entrepreneur's Journey" moderated by Kenan-Flagler Business School assistant professor of entrepreneurship Michael Roach, Ph.D., with UNC scientist-entrepreneur panelists Lowry Caudill, Ph.D., and Mary Napier, Ph.D., Nov. 20, 4-5 p.m., Campus Y, Faculty Commons. 

· Financial Literacy Workshop led by renowned UNC Kenan-Flagler accounting professor C.J. Skender, Nov. 20, 5-8 p.m., Maurice J. Koury Auditorium. Free and open to the UNC students, faculty and staff, registration required.  

Details on UNC's Global Entrepreneurship Week events are available online at www.unc.edu/cei. 

Global Entrepreneurship Week is the world's largest single event celebrating and promoting entrepreneurship among young people.

During the week, partner organizations conduct a range of activities, from simple speeches to comprehensive competitions, all designed to inspire, connect, inform, mentor and engage the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Partners range from large non-governmental organizations to small community-based groups as well as colleges, universities and other educational institutions.

For more information, visit www.unleashingideas.org. 

The Carolina Entrepreneurial Initiative is a university-wide program that helps UNC students, faculty and staff learn to transform their ideas into new ventures of all kinds.

The $11 million program is funded in part by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, managed by the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise and led by faculty and staff across the university from an array of disciplines.

Successful entrepreneurs, many of them Carolina alumni, serve as advisors, lending their real-world expertise. For more information, visit www.unc.edu/cei.