The assessment was based on factors that include the number of courses, enrolled students, faculty, entrepreneurship clubs and mentoring programs.Program Director Lowell Busenitz said, “Entrepreneurship is about connecting within the campus, in the local community and across the state. Our goal is to take the creativity and energy of entrepreneurially minded students and help them develop the capabilities needed to solve real-world problems.”

In only four years, the center has experienced rapid growth. Fourteen graduate and undergraduate courses were added, along with three faculty members and eight adjunct professors. A graduate MBA emphasis was created as well as four additional undergraduate programs, including an undergraduate business major, a minor for engineers, a minor for non-business students and a two-class sequence that emphasizes the fundamentals of starting and growing a business.

“As the new dean of Price College, I’m excited about our Entrepreneurship Program,” said Dean Kenneth Evans. “It has made amazing strides since its inception just four short years ago. More than 1,000 students have learned to start, run and grow their own businesses. We are proud of the positive impact this program is having on our students, as well as the state of Oklahoma.”

Potential career paths for students in Price College’s entrepreneurship program include starting and managing a business; being placed with growth-oriented firms seeking individuals with entrepreneurial leadership, particularly in the areas of new product development and emerging markets; securing management positions in small to medium-sized entrepreneurial and family firms; and consulting and being involved with strategic management by understanding and initiating change and innovation. The degree in entrepreneurship is the most integrated degree in Price College of Business.

According to the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, Oklahoma had 430 business startups in 2006. This places the state fourth in the country in the number of new businesses started per 100,000 residents.

Entrepreneurship program graduate Ryan Wall said that the entrepreneurship program at OU taught him many valuable lessons that gave him a boost in the workplace following graduation. “I analyze information more thoroughly; I understand financial statements and always try to see the big picture. But most important, I have learned that being passionate about what you do is the most important factor when choosing a career. It allows you to work late nights, and take risks that you normally would not take,” he said. “Fortunately, that passion usually shows in your quality of work, and leads to becoming more successful.”

Robert Hefner, a senior majoring in entrepreneurship at Price College, said, “As a senior, I have been able to see the Entrepreneurship and Venture Management major evolve.  Through the years, it became apparent that this program was one that would quickly gain national recognition and momentum.”

Jim Wheeler, co-founder and executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, said, “We are educating tomorrow’s business leaders. The award-winning curriculum and teachers reflect our unique approach to teaching. We use a balanced mix of tenured faculty and successful entrepreneurs in the classroom.”

According to the fall 2006 issue of BusinessWeek’s SmallBiz, “If you’re itching to launch a business soon – maybe you picture yourself a future serial entrepreneur – there are specialized programs at both the graduate and undergraduate levels geared toward helping students get a business off the ground. Schools such as Babson College, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Arizona are among the best-known.”

Entrepreneurial Studies Names Innvator of the Year for 2008

The Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Oklahoma’s Price College of Business was named a 2008 Innovator of the Year by The Journal Record, a leading business newspaper in the Midwest. Oklahoma entrepreneurs, educators, nonprofit, government and civic leaders were among those accorded this honor.

The Innovator of the Year competition is designed to recognize and celebrate ingenuity, creativity, and innovation in the state of Oklahoma. Winners are judged by a panel of Oklahoma business leaders on such criteria as uniqueness of the innovation and amount of growth involved with the product or service.

The Center for Entrepreneurial Studies started in 2003 with 14 students. To date, more than 1,500 students have taken a class through the Center at Price College of Business. Open to all undergraduate and graduate students at OU, the center teaches the fundamentals of starting and growing a successful business. In 2007, the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies was ranked 15 th in the nation by Entrepreneur magazine and The Princeton Review.

“We are honored to be recognized by the business leaders of Oklahoma,” said Jim Wheeler, executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. “The students and professors have enjoyed the challenge of creating a top program. Being recognized by the state and nationally reinforces the positive results of hard work and dedication.”

Ranked in the top 50 by both U.S. News and World Report and by Forbes magazine, the Price College of Business is one of the nation’s premier business colleges. For more information, please contact Kate Burch, director of communication, at (405) 325-2463 or kburch@ou.edu.