Contact: Sara Pucke, 304-638-0508

NEW YORK, May 22, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- A new online business course is launching today to teach and encourage the essentials for success in business and flourishing in the community in a way colleges and business schools don't.

Starting May, 22, 2013, the course, Flourishing Through Business 101, will be teaching what is essential for success in business and flourishing in the community, Chuck Stetson, a venture capitalist in New York, said.

Twelve Christian organizations are among the Sponsors, including Acton Institute, Center for Christian Business Ethics Today, City Action Coalition International, Colson Center, Discovery Institute, Fellowship of Companies for Christ International, Free Think U, Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Institute for Faith, Work and Economics, Pinnacle Forum, The King's College and United in Purpose.

"What we are talking about is the common sense practice of putting the customer first, followed by vendors, employees and then shareholders, priorities that are rarely being taught today at our schools, colleges or even business schools. Greed is not good and almost always ends badly," Stetson said.

"Character is foundational in the US military. Education and training of character starts on the first day of basic training and never ends. It permeates everything we say and do in the military. Whether it's a search and rescue mission or handling nuclear weapons -- the American taxpayers need to trust the military. Seems to me that most successful businesses develop a similar culture of trust among all stakeholders. Teaching character starts with our parents and continues through K-12 schools and colleges. We never stop learning," Mark Hyatt, CEO of Character Education Partnership and a former Vice-Commandant of the U.S. Air Force Academy, said.

"When we see people in need, we tend to think, 'How can we alleviate poverty?' but the better question is 'how do people in the developing world create prosperity for their families and their communities?' Changing the question re-orients the way we think about people in poverty and helps us view them not merely as objects of our charity, but as subjects, and the protagonists of their own development. We need to reframe the discussion and focus on partnerships and entrepreneurship," Michael Matheson Miller, Acton Institute's Research Fellow and Director of media, another of the speakers on the online course, said.

"The collapse of higher education, due to exploding cost and less value delivered, is already under way, As a venture capitalist, I see can see it clearly. Fortunately, there is a solution and it includes inviting everyone into the conversation -- left, right and center. We need to make God and our neighbor's top priorities in our lives so that every member of society can reach their potential. That's how our country can continue to flourish, leading the world into peace and prosperity," Stetson said.

"Blended learning will reduce the cost of education, and it is coming fast. We are working with several colleges on a for-credit version of it. Since this material is not being taught in schools, colleges or business schools, this course is uniquely important," Stetson said.

"Adults take note, our focus groups tell us high school and college students want to network with adults and discuss these issues. As adults we have an opportunity to mentor not only our own children, but also the young people joining our businesses from college," Stetson said.

"We can also incentivize youth to take this course," he says. "For example, I am offering $1,500 to each of the first 10 students at my alma mater (Yale) who pass this course, which is being offered in the 12 weeks ending August 21st. Will other parents and alumni around the country join me in encouraging young people to take this course by offering a cash reward that might be used to reduce their student loan debt , which now averages over $27,000?"

More information can be found on www.flourishingthroughbusiness.org  
 
BROADCASTERS: Sara Pucke, Marketer for Flourishing Through Business 101, will be available for phone interviews at 3pm at 304-638-0508. To see the course platform, visit www.courses.howcommunitiesflourish.org/courses.