Topic: Miller College of Business

October 22, 2007

The Entrepreneurship Center at Ball State was honored by the National Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (NCEC) for two of its innovative immersive learning programs.

During the NCEC conference Oct. 4-6 at Syracuse University, Ball State received the Award for Excellence in Entrepreneurship Teaching and Pedagogical Innovation for its new venture creation course and the newly launched Ground Floor program. The award also lauded Ball State for implementing a systematic restructuring in creative problem solving in all entrepreneur programs.

"This is certainly a prestigious award for the Entrepreneurship Center and the Miller College of Business," said Larry Cox, Entrepreneurship Center director. "It is deeply gratifying to be recognized by peers from around the world for our innovative and immersive approach to entrepreneurship education."

The NCEC, which was founded in 1996 and now has 200 member colleges and universities world wide, encourages faculty to collaborate and communicate on the specific issues and challenges confronting university-based entrepreneurship centers.

The Entrepreneurship Center's new venture creation course has been nationally recognized as the ultimate entrepreneurial experience. It is a final pass or fail class that requires seniors to put their degrees on the line when their business plans are reviewed by a group of top business leaders just days before graduation.

The Ground Floor is an immersive learning program for MBA students from rural Indiana communities. Students are exposed to a variety of new technologies, provided access to veteran entrepreneurs and given resources to launch a new high-potential business based on practical applications of innovative technologies. The program is designed to spur the economies of rural communities around the state.

The NCEC award is the latest honor received by the center. Ball State is currently ranked 20th in an analysis of the nation's top undergraduate entrepreneurship programs by Entrepreneur magazine and The Princeton Review. The rankings were compiled for the magazine's November issue by The Princeton Review, a multifaceted New York-based education corporation. Entrepreneur's college rankings will be on newsstands Oct. 23.

Since it was founded more than 20 years ago, Ball State's entrepreneurship program has consistently ranked among the nation's elite, including being listed in the top 10 by U.S. News & World Report since 1999.

By Marc Ransford, Senior Communications Strategist