"This makes Ball State University the center of the collegiate world when it comes to entrepreneurship," said Donald F. Kuratko, founding director of Ball State's Entrepreneurship Program.

The National Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers, a newly created coalition of about 60 business schools, will be based within the College of Business under the Entrepreneurship Program's umbrella.

"This grew out of a couple of conferences where entrepreneurship faculty discussed how we could collaborate more effectively," Kuratko said. "The consortium allows faculty across the country to keep in constant contact with each other and be aware of the latest trends and research."

"The Consortium plans to expand to more than 100 universities over the next two years," said Kuratko, the Jeff and Teri Stoops Distinguished Professor of Business.

Consortium membership includes Stanford University, the University of Southern California, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Maryland as well international affiliates in Ireland and South Africa.

"I think Ball State was selected because the consortium's advisory board saw some of the great achievements of our program over the past 18 years," he said. "We have made a national name for the program and my colleagues in the field felt very comfortable having it here."

The program has won numerous awards in recent years, including being ranked in U.S. News and World Report's elite top five business schools for entrepreneurship.

Students should be the first impacted by the presence of the consortium, which is sponsored by NASDAQ Stock Market, the Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City, Mo., and Beacon Global Advisors, Inc., a Bethesda, Md., investment firm.

"Our students, particularly those in the graduate program, will be able to tap into a lot of different research databases," Kuratko said. "They'll also be able to work on dynamic projects and innovative initiatives handled by various universities.

"This means that we are no longer simply working within a classroom," he said. "Our students will work with faculty and students at other major universities around the nation in real time through the Internet with real-life consequences. I think that is another major step forward for our program."

By Marc Ransford, Communications Manager

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, Kuratko may be reached by e-mail at dkuratko@gw.bsu.eduor by phone at (765)285-5327.)