Topic: Miller College of Business

August 31, 2007

Ball State's undergraduate entrepreneurship program has retained its top 10 ranking in U.S. News & World Report, while the Princeton Review is touting the university as one of the best in the Midwest.

In its 2008 America's Best Colleges issue, U.S. News ranks the Entrepreneurship Center, under the direction of Larry Cox, eighth in the nation - ahead of similar business programs at Syracuse University, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, University of California-Berkeley, University of Maryland-College Park and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

And for the third consecutive year, Ball State has been honored by the Princeton Review, a New York-based educational services company, as one of the Best Midwestern Colleges in its annual "Best Colleges: Region by Region."

The complete list may be found at www.princetonreview.com. The site profiles 161 public and private schools in the Midwest that uphold the value of the "Best" distinction.

"The entrepreneurship program has long been a source of pride for the Miller College of Business and the university," said Ball State President Jo Ann M. Gora. "Being recognized among the nation's best for nearly a decade is recognition of the sustained and continuing excellence of the entrepreneurship program, which offers business students a truly transformative experience.

"It is also rewarding to have the quality of a Ball State education recognized for three consecutive years by the Princeton Review," she added.  "It is an acknowledgement of the excellence in teaching and learning that continues to grow at Ball State." 

The entrepreneurship program has been ranked in the top 10 by U.S. News since 1999. The current rankings, results of a survey of deans and senior faculty at undergraduate business programs accredited by the Association to Advance College Schools of Business, may be found at www.usnews.com.

Founded more than 20 years ago, the undergraduate program is well known as the ultimate entrepreneurial experience, including a final "pass or fail" class that challenges seniors to put their degrees on the line when their business plans are reviewed by a group of top business leaders just days before graduation.

"The faculty and staff of Ball State's Entrepreneurship Center has worked hard this past year to create new and innovative undergraduate programming, such as The Nascent 500 Business Plan Challenge, to further enhance the impact of our award winning program," Cox said. "It is wonderful that these efforts are once again being recognized."

U.S. News also lauded Ball State in its best college issue under the category of first-year "Programs to Look For." It is the fourth consecutive year the university has been recognized for its innovative high school-to-college transitional programs, including Freshman Connections, Early Start, EXCEL and Cardinal Leadership and Success Seminar (CLASS).

Ball State shares honors on the outstanding first-year experiences list with 39 other colleges and universities, including Princeton University, the publication's pick as the nation's top institution of higher learning overall.

By Marc Ransford, Senior Communications Strategist