RALEIGH – NC State has been ranked by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine as a Top Undergraduate and Graduate School for Entrepreneurship Studies for 2020. NC State is ranked No. 10 on the list of undergraduate schools, up from No. 11 in 2018, and its graduate school – for the first time – made its debut on the list at No. 21.
“In the Poole College of Management and across the university, we are committed to providing a stimulating environment for professionals, startups and entrepreneurs to promote collaboration and drive innovation,” said Dr. Frank Buckless, Stephen P. Zelnak Jr. Dean of the Poole College of Management. “From the Entrepreneurship Garage to the Wolfpack Investor Network to the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund, NC State supports entrepreneurs and plays a critical role in stimulating North Carolina’s economy.”
[The news came just ahead of NCSU’s observation activities for Global Entrepreneurship Week.]
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The impact of NC State’s focus on entrepreneurship has wide-reaching impacts. NC State startups have resulted in more than $1.2 billion in added income to the state’s economy. To date, the NC State Entrepreneurship Garage has launched 31 currently active companies, with a combined $75 million in venture capital investments, and the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund has led to the creation of a dozen new companies.
The Princeton Review tallied its 2020 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.
“The growth of entrepreneurship and related programming and activities at NC State in recent years has been amazing.” said Tom Miller, Senior Vice Provost for Academic Outreach and Entrepreneurship. “The Princeton Review ranking shines a spotlight on all the entrepreneurial activity that’s going on here at the university. It effectively serves as a beacon for prospective students interested in entrepreneurship that NC State is the place to go to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and pursue your passions. Think and do!”
(C) NCSU
