Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business named National Model MBA Entrepreneurship Program
School honored for innovative and impactful MBA entrepreneurship program at 2011 United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship Conference

BY MARY LYNN FERNAU
Special to Rice News

Rice’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business received the 2011 National Model MBA Entrepreneurship Program Award at the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) national conference.

The Rice MBA entrepreneurship program was recognized for its excellence in entrepreneurship education based on all aspects of the program.

The purpose of the USASBE awards is to identify, recognize, celebrate and publicize excellence in entrepreneurship education in all forms and at all levels. Awards cite exemplary programs that reflect innovation, quality, comprehensiveness, sustainability, transferability, depth of support and impact.

“It is a great honor for the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University to receive this prestigious award,” said Bill Glick, dean of the Jones School. “Our faculty have published exceptional research and provided our students an exemplary teaching experience, and I am pleased they are receiving recognition for their work. Our entrepreneurship program, under the leadership of Professor Al Napier and through our association and support of the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, has helped mold and cultivate successful entrepreneurial ventures that were founded while students were earning Rice MBAs.”

Rice and the University of Missouri at Kansas City were the only finalists that presented to the judges at the conference in this category. Brad Burke, managing director of the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, presented on behalf of Rice University at the conference held in Hilton Head Island, S.C.

The award to Rice recognizes the quality of the depth and breadth of the Rice MBA entrepreneurship programs, both curricular and noncurricular, including the activities of the Rice Alliance that involve the Rice MBA students, Burke said.

Past winners of this award include Harvard University, Babson College, University of North Carolina, University of Texas at Austin and Indiana University.

The mission of USASBE is to create the next generation of entrepreneurs through teaching and research to improve knowledge, techniques and skills in promoting the advancement of entrepreneurial education and research. To recognize achievement of this mission, USASBE presents the awards during its annual conference to universities that have demonstrated excellence in education and research.