http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/articles/find/entrepreneurship.asp The Princeton Review 2007 Top Entrepreneurial Programs:... You may think street smarts are enough to be a successful entrepreneur, but these top entrepreneurship programs are giving students the practical and theoretical knowledge they need to succeed in any venture. The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine surveyed more than 900 undergraduate and business schools about their offerings in entrepreneurship. The survey included questions covering everything from mentoring, experiential learning and specific course offerings to alumni successes and career prospects of current students. Schools that ranked high demonstrated a commitment to entrepreneurship both inside and outside the classroom and had faculty, students and alumni actively involved and successful in entrepreneurial endeavors. School Name 1. Babson College -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. University of Houston -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Drexel University -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. The University of Arizona -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. University of Dayton -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Chapman University -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. DePaul University -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. Temple University -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9. University of North Dakota -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10. Loyola Marymount University http://www.bauer.uh.edu/not-a-cinderella-story.htm Not a Cinderella story How a C.T. Bauer College of Business entrepreneurship program was crowned #2 in the national rankings The story of the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation begins and ends with entrepreneurs. And though many have come from humble backgrounds and achieved fairy-tale success, the factors that resulted in the Center shooting to the top of the list compiled by Entrepreneur magazine and The Princeton Review have everything to do with building- block fundamentals and the expectation that successful entrepreneurship is something that can be taught. The Center’s brief history begins with William Sherrill, the first to teach entrepreneurship at Bauer. Sherrill, a former appointee to the U.S. Federal Reserve System and Director of the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and founder of CEI, worked with the University of Houston to establish the Center in 1993. His was an entrepreneurial success story to emulate: Sherrill owned his own financial consulting business, assisting corporations that were structuring acquisitions, mergers and spin-offs and was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Educator) in 1994. A UH graduate, Sherrill, 81, continues to teach and has been instrumental in positioning the Center as a resource for the Houston entrepreneurial community. He says one factor contributing to CEI’s popularity has to do with a growing demand for entrepreneurs. “The growth (of CEI) has been a marvelous thing and it’s come about partially because the new technologies and new markets demand a more flexible system,” Sherrill says. Twenty years ago, large corporations hired most of the college graduates. Now small and emerging businesses account for the most hires, and CEI provides a kind of knee-deep intensive and experiential training that appeals to students who heretofore may have thought they didn’t have what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur. Contrary to popular opinion, entrepreneurship can be learned, Sherrill says. “It’s sort of like playing tennis. Not everybody has the ability to go to Wimbledon but everyone can be taught to play it.” Daniel Steppe, director of CEI since 2003, has created multiple successful businesses and holds two technology patents. But his most recent innovation was in helping create the CEI Certificate program. The program attracts students from a wide range of disciplines who learn about becoming an entrepreneur in their chosen field or how to operate within a corporation with an entrepreneurial perspective, an approach that’s unusual in an academic playing field typically populated by business majors. Of approximately 1,300 students who take Entrepreneur classes each semester, about 25 percent are non-business students, a number Steppe and others with CEI are working to increase. “This process is universal and you can teach it across a large horizon,” Steppe says. One of the keys to success for the program is creating a model for entrepreneurship, and not simply schooling students in the various aspects of running a business, he adds. Part of that focus includes hiring faculty who are actively engaged in real world businesses, Steppe says. Mentors, weekly speakers, roundtable discussions and hands-on opportunities for students to learn negotiating skills from business professionals are crucial ways Bauer supports Entrepreneur students. In the end, Steppe says, he wants students to take away four things from the program: 1. The sense that being an entrepreneur is do-able, something they can accomplish. 2. The establishment of their own personal definition of success. 3. The knowledge that entrepreneurship is something that can be taught. 4. The understanding that this model for entrepreneurship can be applied to any business they choose – from a small family-run business to a huge industry or non-profit organization. All the rankings in the world can’t compare to the success stories of individual students who’ve graduated from CEI: The foreign student who started an international translation business which now has 300-plus customers on four continents, and more than $7 million in revenues; the small businessman who three years after graduating from the program runs the largest wedding photography studio in Houston. Mila Green was working as a tour guide in Russia when a group of U.S. tourists surprised her by pooling their money to buy her a ticket to the United States. As a foreign student attending UH, Green took an entrepreneurship class from Bill Sherrill. At the time, Green had no intention of starting a business, she says. But to support herself while going to school, she worked as a translator and interpreter. The business plan she put together for the class became the $7 million business that Green now owns, MasterWord Services, Inc. “My business grew as part of my homework,” says Green, BBA ’95. She expresses deep gratitude for all the people in the CEI program who helped her along the way. “MasterWord was a very small startup when we began in 1993, but this year we expect revenues to exceed $7 million. From planning to operations to problem-solving, I don’t think we’d be where we are today without the exceptional preparation I received from the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation,” Green says. Another CEI success story unfolded in an unlikely way: Vibhore Jain, BBA ’06, was a CEI student when he took it upon himself to make a large purchase of textbook overruns for the family business, an international book vendor. Jain’s impulse buy of more than 600,000 books didn’t seem like such a good idea when he realized he wasn’t sure where or who the company would sell them to. After his uncles chewed him out at a family gathering, he mentioned his problem to Steppe, who helped him develop a plan. Two weeks later, the entire shipment was sold for approximately $500,000 in a two-week time period (a profit of 450 percent, he says). Now Jain, managing partner of Studium Press, has spun that experience into another facet of the business, an endeavor that takes him all over the globe. “It all kind of just fell in my lap,” Jain says, but Steppe and other CEI faculty, “led me through the steps and taught me how to persist. The caliber of the classmates and the professors with their hands-on approach was exceptional.” Such success stories are the rule, not the exception when it comes to CEI. While it’s true that entrepreneurs share certain personality traits, like an observant and curious nature, and a positive sense of urgency, it’s also true that carefully thought out curriculum, enrichment opportunities and faculty who are grounded in practical business experience make the magic accessible to anyone, Steppe says. CEI Cinderella stories? They abound. But students won’t need fairy dust and magic wands to achieve their dreams, he says. “We spent a lot of time unraveling the pieces of this puzzle, which we now know is not that complicated,” Steppe says. “This model we’re teaching you is useable in whatever business you choose.” By Julie Bonnin
On one hand I'm happy because it reflects well on UH, on the other I'm not because Bauer is full of douchebags
As a fellow CEI Alum. I am so damn proud that the program finally recieved the national honors it deserved. It was the best kept secret in Houston. Every thursday we would have successful CEO's from the Houston and surrounding areas come and address our class. They would speak on all matters of life including business. Our professors were all former successful CEO's and were dedicated to us. Each one of us was given a mentor (current or former Executive, CEO, or CEI alum) to help us with our business ideas and in constant contact with us on a daily basis if needed. Our final project consisted of the class setting up similar burger stands to compete for 2 days only side by side. However much money you earned in those 2 days determined the grade. Imagine being in a small space with 8 other competitors selling the same thing. How do you win business? How do you succeed? If thats not real world prep, I don't know what is. These are only a glimpse of what the program has to offer. It was very competitive to get in. They only select a maximum of 40 students every year. I had to go through 3 interviews, turn in a resume and a written report about my goals, expectations, and plans after I graduated. The class had only 35 to begin with, that way we were allowed the most detailed personal attention. If any of you are considering starting your own business. This program will change your life. I say that because since graduating in 2005, I have grown my company to over 400 employees operating in 4 different countries and multi-million dollar revenues. From a dream to reality and I owe to hard work and CEI.
can anyone recommend a cheaper and easier alternative? i know it won't be anything like CEI, but at least provide a good foundation for a future entrepreneur.
It's not just Entrepreneurship, UH has a world-class business school. It's probably the best in the state (at least on par with UT). I've been saying it for years but there are few believers out there: UH is one of the best schools in the nation, but academia is one of the last vistages of feudalism, where the school name often trumps the quality of scholarship conducted at the institution. Business, Engineering, some Sciences programs (Physics, etc)...UH is a top-notch academic school. But in due time it will get recognition for it.
I'm glad for UH; but I've yet to meet anyone in a business environment who has a UH degree. Maybe there's just not that many in the college? Just read Rox_fan_here, so yeah, CEI enrollment is tiny.
Awesome!!! I took a class on Entrepreneurship in 2006. The instructor was bad ass. His name was Ken Jones. He is no longer teaching that course because the business school replaced him with an accountant. I loved going to his class every time. His lectures were not boring AT ALL. I just applied to Bauer for the MBA program. Wish me luck!
There are a ton of alumni out there. Maybe you aren't high up enough in the food chain yet to meet them. http://www.bauer.uh.edu/alumni/directory.htm
That's true. In a few years, UH will be up there with the likes of Harvard, Columbia, Stanford, and Wharton.
Lady Di, Ken Jones was one of the team CEI instructors that I had in 05. I recently went to the distinguished speaker series which was hosted by CEI and featured Johnny Carrabba. From what I understand Ken is still actively involved in the entrepreneurship program as far as CEI goes. Good Luck!
I am actually in the process of applying for this major. We had a retreat today and it was hard man. They ask complicated questions. I actually have a personal interview on monday. Hope I get into the program.
Why does everybody always forget the Law School? I'm pretty sure we're the top ranked college at the University by far, and we're always forgotten. Heck, the school doesn't even mention us in most of their promotional materials. There's a reason most UH law students want to move our building downtown. Main campus has gotten way too much of my money compared to what they've done for me as a grad student there.
