Center for Entrepreneurship recognized for fifth consecutive year
Belmont University’s Center for Entrepreneurship is one of the best in the nation according to The Princeton Review. The education services company today named the University No. 19 on its list of “Top Undergraduate Schools for Entrepreneurship Programs.”
Based on surveys of business school administrators at nearly 2,000 schools about their institution’s entrepreneurship offerings, the annual lists salute 50 programs in all – 25 undergraduate and 25 graduate – for their excellence in entrepreneurship education.
“It is an extraordinary accomplishment for our entrepreneurship program to have been ranked five times in the Top 25 by Entrepreneur magazine. Our faculty’s passion for innovation cultivates an environment in which students can achieve entrepreneurial success,” said College of Business Administration Dean Patrick Raines. “Our students benefit from engagement with local entrepreneurs, enter business plan competitions, and get involved in our student-run businesses or utilize our Hatchery to develop their start-up enterprises. We are very proud of the accomplishments of our students and the impact our alumni are making in the business world.”
More than 70 percent of entrepreneurship faculty have started or run a successful business, and 44 percent of the last graduating class have launched a business. The center also has 10 mentorship programs and five student organizations to support students as they begin their entrepreneurial endeavors.
“For a small program like ours to be consistently ranked among top programs is a testimony to the quality of our students and the tireless efforts of our Center for Entrepreneurship staff and faculty,” said Center for Entrepreneurship Director Jeff Cornwall.
Belmont’s innovative program enables students to get involved in one of several student-run businesses on campus and provides students with the resources and support necessary for them to start their own businesses. Approximately 3,500 square feet of prime retail space in the Curb Event Center has been set aside by Belmont University for students to use to develop retail or service businesses. Feedback Clothing Co. and BLVD Music Shopare operating in this space. Also, Student Business Hatcheries provide an office environment containing basic resources and support to help students as they develop their own entrepreneurial ventures. Students are advised by faculty, staff and local entrepreneurs, who are part of the Belmont Entrepreneur Network. Other resources available to students include free legal clinics, accounting clinics and practicing entrepreneur roundtables
“We commend each of these schools not only for giving their students a first-rate classroom experience in business practices, but for their cross-disciplinary approaches to entrepreneurship education” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s senior vice president and publisher. “These programs stand out for the impressive ways they are supporting students with the vision and skills to create their own innovative businesses and to succeed at them.”
The Princeton Review evaluated the programs based on a wide range of data it annually collects in its institutional surveys for this project. Among the criteria, schools are asked about the levels of their commitment to entrepreneurship inside and outside the classroom, the percentage of their faculty, students, and alumni actively and successfully involved in entrepreneurial endeavors, the number of their mentorship programs, and their funding for scholarships and grants for entrepreneurial studies and projects.
Since 2006, the Princeton Review has annually reported these lists in partnership with Entrepreneur Media Inc. publisher of Entrepreneur magazine. A feature on these rankings appears in Entrepreneur‘s October issue, available on newsstands today, and at www.entrepreneur.com/topcolleges. The Princeton Review also today posted the ranking lists on its site at www.princetonreview.com/entrepreneur. There users can also access information about criteria for the rankings and topics asked in the 60-question survey for this project.
“The right education enhances and reinforces curiosity and creative thinking in entrepreneurs,” commented Amy Cosper, vice president of Entrepreneur Media Inc. and editor-in-chief of Entrepreneur. “This ranking provides a unique look at top schools that offer the type of training, encouragement and direction that nurtures entrepreneurial skills. It’s an excellent resource for those interested in academics as a pathway to their goals, and it can help tremendously in the discovery process to finding the right program.”
The Princeton Review conducted its entrepreneurship program survey from April through June 2012. The company also reports annual rankings of graduate business schools in eleven categories and profiles nearly 300 business schools its annual guide, “The Best 296 Business Schools” – the new 2013 edition of which goes on sale Oct. 9.
About Belmont University
Ranked No. 7 in the Regional Universities South category and named for the fifth consecutive year as one of the top “Up-and-Comer” universities by U.S. News & World Report, Belmont University consists of approximately 6,650 students who come from every state and 25 countries. Committed to being a leader among teaching universities, Belmont brings together the best of liberal arts and professional education in a Christian community of learning and service. The university’s purpose is to help students explore their passions and develop their talents to meet the world’s needs, a fact made evident in the University’s hometown, Nashville, where students served more than 60,000 hours of community service (valued at $450,000) during the last academic year. Belmont is also one of the fastest-growing universities in the country, doubling enrollment and investing more than $314 million in construction projects in the past 12 years. With more than 80 areas of study, 23 master’s programs and five doctoral degrees, there is no limit to the ways Belmont University can expand an individual’s horizon. For more information, visit www.belmont.edu.
About The Princeton Review
Founded in 1981, The Princeton Review (www.PrincetonReview.com) is a privately held education services company headquartered in Framingham, MA. The Company has long been a leader in helping college and graduate school–bound students achieve their education and career goals through its test preparation services, tutoring and admissions resources, online courses, and more than 150 print and digital books published by Random House, Inc. The Princeton Review delivers its programs via a network of more than 5,000 teachers and tutors in the U.S.A., Canada, and international franchises. The Company also partners with schools and guidance counselors worldwide to provide students with college readiness, test preparation and career planning services.
About Entrepreneur Media Inc.
Entrepreneur Media Inc. (www.entrepreneur.com) is the premier content provider for and about entrepreneurs. Our products engage and inspire every day with the advice, solutions and resources that fuel the bold and independent way entrepreneurs think. After 32 years, nobody reaches more growing businesses. As the original magazine for the small and midsize business community, Entrepreneur continues to be the definitive guide to all the diverse challenges of business ownership. Entrepreneur.com is the most widely used website by entrepreneurs and emerging businesses worldwide. Entrepreneur Press has published books that turn entrepreneurial skills into business success. To advertise, please contact us at www.entrepreneur.com/mediakit.
