The C.T. Bauer College of Business will be honored in the November issue at the second-best entrepreneurial colleges for 2007.
"We are determined to become one of the premier schools in the country," Dean of the C.T. Bauer College of Business Arthur Warga said.
Students, alumni, faculty and staff gathered in Melcher Hall on Thursday for a ceremony to celebrate the honor. Mayor Bill White will also honor the college Tuesday in a ceremony at City Hall to declare the C.T. Bauer College of Business Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Day.
"It’s pretty much like being number one because they say the first school is like the father of entrepreneurship," entrepreneurship junior Parker Foss said. "It’s pretty good. I’m impressed."
The Princeton Review, which did a joint survey with Entrepreneur Magazine, asked approximately 400 undergraduate and business schools about their entrepreneurship offerings. Participating schools submitted an application to enter and answered survey questions that included mentoring, learning experience and specific course offerings for students.
The survey also included success stories from alumni and career prospects of current students. The Princeton Review determined the rankings by evaluating key criteria in the areas of academics and requirements, students and faculty, as well as support and experiences outside of the classroom, according to Entrepreneurship magazine’s Web site.
Robert Franek, a representative of the Princeton Review, said he was happy to support the University.
"We knew we had a great program, and we were among the top in the U.S. It feels great to be validated," Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Daniel Steppe said. "My esteem for the Princeton Review went up because they had the common sense to rank us number two."
The entrepreneurship program has an enrollment of 1,300 students per semester and has four components: academics, enrichment, competition and community service.
Entrepreneurship was approved as a major in 1995 and was created by UH graduate Bill Sherill, former director of the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
When the program began, the CEI offered three courses and then expanded to six. Two years later, the CEI was approved as a major in 1995.
"When we first started, we were a small group of eager, experienced entrepreneurs, but amateurs at educating," Sherill said. "Bauer took us on and made us educators."
Last year, more than 1,500 students took at least one course in entrepreneurship and total registration in courses totaled over 2,400. It includes more than 800 students participating in the Intrapreneuership/Corporate Entrepreneurship certificate program.
Alumni, who were present at the ceremony said the high rank CEI received was a significant recognition.
"I took so much from this program, and it has fundamentally changed my life," said UH alum Carlos Buchanan, who was in the first graduating class of 1995. "It has been a great joy for me to have an impact on the business world."
Alumni Association Director of Knowledge is Power Program, which serves low-income students from elementary to high school, 2007 UH alum Andres Garcia said that CEI was instrumental in preparing him for the business world.
"Our program serves the underserved – schools with mostly minority and low-income students," Garcia said of KIPP. "We promote no excuses and high expectations. This is the same thing I learned at CEI."
Despite the recognition, the program’s quality speaks for itself, Sherrill said.
"At the end of the day it’s about the students," Sherrill said. "We are grateful to the Princeton Review. We are grateful to be able to touch the minds of so many young live."
