Among those responsible for the Falcone Center’s award are, from left: Lindsay Wickham, events and communications manager; Susan Oot, administrative specialist; Terry Brown, executive director of the Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship; Gabriela Mejia, entrepreneur-in-residence; and Alex McKelvie, chair, department of entrepreneurship & emerging enterprises and associate professor of entrepreneurship.
The in the recently received the 2016 award from the , an organization that brings together entrepreneurship centers to advance excellence in entrepreneurship. This award is given to centers that have made outstanding contributions to improving areas of entrepreneurship, such as outreach to emerging ventures, and is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a university-level entrepreneurship center.
“This achievement reflects not only the hard work of our staff, faculty and partners, but also our commitment to supporting the dreams and successes of our students,” says , vice chancellor and acting dean of the Whitman School. “At 鶹ƵUniversity we strive to nurture our students and to provide a special place for entrepreneurs across campus to learn, plan and grow.”
Aimed at developing the entrepreneur within, the serves as the cornerstone of Whitman’s top-ranked program, helping to facilitate entrepreneurial activity on campus, as well as across local and regional communities. The center provides valuable entrepreneurial resources, such as new venture business planning, through a variety of initiatives and program including the (Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship) Business Center, the and veterans’ entrepreneurship training, such as the Barnes Family Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) program.
The business incubator within the center houses more than 130 student businesses. Hatchery occupants have collectively raised more than $3.4 million in external capital. Many Hatchery alumni have gone on to become successful business owners.
“This recognition is very meaningful to the Entrepreneurship & Emerging Enterprises program,” says , department chair of the Entrepreneurship & Emerging Enterprises program. “This award is among the most prolific globally and our Falcone Center receiving this is a reflection of the entire EEE team’s efforts over numerous years, and across our research, teaching and outreach missions. We are very proud and honored by this award. We are happy to join such a prestigious group of winners.”
Whitman’s Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship received the NASDAQ Center of Entrepreneurial Excellence award previously in 2004, along with Stanford University’s Stanford Technology Ventures Program and the University of Portland’s Center for Entrepreneurship. Previous winners also include MIT, USC, Babson, Indiana and Cornell.
The Global Entrepreneurship Consortium ranking methodology for its NASDAQ Center of Entrepreneurial Excellence award includes prestige through national rankings or other recognition, entrepreneurship curriculum development, contributions to entrepreneurship research and more.
“This is a major international award that recognizes programs that make remarkable advancements in entrepreneurship, including for research, curriculum, community collaborations and overall prestige,” says McKelvie.
