2021 Princeton Review Rankings Reflect University Wide Entrepreneurship Efforts
NC State has been ranked by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine as a Top Undergraduate and Graduate School for Entrepreneurship Studies for 2021.
NC State ranked No. 16 in the country for undergraduate entrepreneurship and No. 17 in the country for graduate programs this year.
“In the Poole College of Management and across the university, we are committed to creating a collaborative interdisciplinary environment for students, faculty, staff, and industry partners to drive innovation and fuel our economy,” said Dr. Frank Buckless, Stephen P. Zelnak Jr. Dean of the Poole College of Management.
From the Entrepreneurship Clinic to the Technology Commercialization and Entrepreneurship Program to the Wolfpack Investor Network to the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund, NC State supports entrepreneurs and plays a critical role in creating the future jobs for North Carolina’s economy.
The Rankings
The Princeton Review tallied its 2021 lists based on surveys it conducted from administrators at more than 300 schools offering entrepreneurship studies. The surveys evaluate the school’s commitment to entrepreneurship studies inside and outside the classroom. Topics included: the percentage of faculty, students, and alumni actively and successfully involved in entrepreneurial endeavors, the number and reach of mentorship programs, scholarships and grants for entrepreneurial studies, and the level of support for school-sponsored business plan competitions. In all, more than 40 data points were analyzed in the ranking list tallies.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by the Princeton Review. The recognition has proven helpful in recruiting students, as well as, aids in their placements upon graduation. We are proud to have a program that is consistently being recognized as one of the best. This is a direct reflection of the quality of our students and their desire to embrace an entrepreneurial mindset,” said Lewis Sheats, assistant vice provost for entrepreneurship and executive director of the Entrepreneurship Clinic.
Entrepreneurship at NC State
NC State has a lengthy history in entrepreneurship from courses and programs to notable start-ups such as SAS, which had its start at NC State. Over the past several years the university made a conscious effort to connect efforts across campus and support those efforts at the university level. One of those components being Poole College of Management’s Entrepreneurship Clinic, housed in Raleigh Founded — one of the Triangle’s largest co-working hubs. The clinic integrates research, teaching and real world experience, and gives faculty, students, entrepreneurs and service providers a place to gather to teach, learn and build the next generation of businesses in Raleigh.
Tom Miller, senior vice provost for Academic Outreach and Entrepreneurship said, “NC State Entrepreneurship has been largely successful due to the holistic approach we’ve taken in providing a broad array of curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular opportunities to students across the university. Additionally, our Entrepreneurship Alliance model and our K-12 and alumni outreach efforts create a unique pipeline of engagement not only for our current students, but the broader NC State community.”
Impact on Students
The holistic approach that the university has taken combined with the growth of entrepreneurship efforts across campus has benefitted students who are just curious about entrepreneurship to those who are running a business already, even perhaps seeking funding.
The NC State Entrepreneurship Garage is one such example. This creation and prototyping space was designed for student entrepreneurs and serves as a hub for students across campus to come together and explore their entrepreneurial ideas and interests, while providing a space, skill workshops, staff mentors, speakers and more. The Albright Entrepreneurs Village also allows students with an interest in entrepreneurship to live and learn together, with opportunities to experience entrepreneurship on and off campus.
“Students should be proud of this ranking because it says as much about them as it does about NC State Entrepreneurship. Our students, by and large, are NC State Entrepreneurship. Without their active engagement in our full program pipeline, we could not possibly earn this ranking,” Miller said.
This post was originally published in Jenkins MBA News.
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