UNL Center for Entrepreneurship Earns Magazine Accolade

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is one of the Top 100 Entrepreneurial Colleges and Universities in the United States, according to the May issue of Entrepreneur magazine. UNL's Center for Entrepreneurship appears in the top 25 regionally recognized academic programs.

More than 825 entrepreneurship programs and curricula were researched between September to December 2003 for the study, conducted for Entrepreneur by Santa Barbara, Calif., -based TechKnowledge Point Corp., an entrepreneurship research and referral exchange. The final rankings are based on more than 70 separate criteria, including course offerings, teaching and research faculty, business-community outreaches, research centers and institutes, advisory boards, off-campus programs, other entrepreneurial initiatives, degrees and certificates offered, tangible venture development, access to capital funding, and faculty and alumni evaluations.

The Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship, created in 1987, inspires and enables UNL students to start and grow new businesses by encouraging business ownership as a career path, exploring opportunities for new businesses, teaching the responsibilities of businesses in a free enterprise economy, facilitating mentor relationships with small business owners and connecting individuals with plans for new businesses with others with financial and other resources.

In 1997, the centers' undergraduate curriculum was recognized by the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship as a "Model Program" for the U.S. and was one of only six recognized. The center carries out numerous workshops, competitions, courses, laboratories and experiences that encourage entrepreneurship among students of all ages.

More information on the center is available on the center's Web site.

CONTACT: Terrence Sebora, Director, Center for Entrepreneurship, (402) 472-3353