A new Forbes.com ranking released Thursday placed the E.J. OursoCollege of Business Administration third in the nation for bestentrepreneurial campuses.
In cooperation with the Princeton Review, the Forbes.com surveyexamined how colleges teach entrepreneurial skills and encouragestudents to start their own businesses.
Robert Sumichrast, College of Business and Administration dean,said he is excited about the ranking because it will help reinforcethe other top rankings the business school and entrepreneurialstudies program have received.
Sumichrast said Entrepreneurial Magazine ranked the school no. 5last year, and the College of Business incubator, which helps newsmall businesses get off the ground, number three.
Carol Carter, assistant director of the Institute ofEntrepreneurial Education and Family Business Studies, said she andDirector Joseph Hair have developed several programs to helpstudents and community members create new businesses.
She said she developed a program called Women Mean Business thatprovides seminars for women to start a business plan, obtain startup capital and still make time for their families whileworking.
“Basically we want to try to get them networking and give themthe tools to start a business,” Carter said.
Carter said many of her students write business plans in her orBob Justis’, the director of the International Forum, classes andthen are able to put those plans into action through the businessincubator or on their own.
Hair attributed the success of the college to the faculty.
“I hired good people,” he said. “We have limited funds, but wetry to make the most out of them.”
Hair also said he thinks the ranking will help to get theentrepreneurial program grants and put the school on the radar forstudents and potential students.
The E.J. Ourso College of Business ranked third, behind theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Notre DameUniversity.