Regnier Institute Program Is Best In Nation

The Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation undergraduate entrepreneurship program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City has been named the 2014 National Model Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Program by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE).

The program and Institute are housed within the new Henry W. Bloch Executive Hall for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Henry W. Bloch School of Management.

In 2012, the Bloch School’s MBA in entrepreneurship was named the National Model Graduate Entrepreneurship Program by USASBE.

The award continues the consistent recognition the Bloch School’s entrepreneurship programs have received over the past few years, including having both the undergraduate and graduate programs currently ranked among the top 20 in the nation by The Princeton Review, and UMKC’s designation as the No. 1 university in the world for innovation management research.

This research is driven by three of the Bloch School’s entrepreneurship faculty, including the No. 1, No. 4 and No. 50 innovation management scholars in the world.

The award was based on seven basic criteria including innovation, quality, comprehensiveness, sustainability, transferability, depth of support and impact. The leadership of the Regnier Institute represented the school at the competition in Fort Worth, Texas on Jan. 13. 

“The USASBE National Model Undergraduate Program award recognizes a program that is not only exemplary in its innovation, quality, comprehensiveness, sustainability, depth of support, and impact, but that serves as a model for other schools to emulate,” said Regnier Institute Executive Director Dr. Michael Song. “It acknowledges a significant and ongoing contribution to entrepreneurship education and practice. We are proud to accept the award, with the understanding that it acknowledges the efforts of many people and organizations, including not only our faculty, staff, and students, but also our mentors, the Regnier Family Foundation, and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.”

“We are encouraged by this recognition.” said Thom Ruhe, vice president of Entrepreneurship at the Kauffman Foundation. “We believe UMKC’s focus on cross-campus integration, community engagement and experiential based real-world applications are worthy of replication, and could serve as a great foundation for institutions looking for a model.”

Regnier Institute Managing Director Dr. John Norton commented, “This designation is gratifying, because it joins our 2012 National Model Graduate Program designation; it is humbling as peer recognition few schools have achieved in the long history of the awards; and it is exciting, because institutions around the world are increasingly looking to the Bloch School and UMKC for leadership in entrepreneurship education, and it is up to us to deliver against that promise.

“According to the judges, the Bloch School undergraduate program scored high in all of the categories, with a number of standout elements.  They cited our Entrepreneurship Scholars (E-Scholars) program for its innovative approach, and the program’s proven influence on new-venture growth and development in the Kansas City region for its impact,” Norton said.

Norton added that the success of the Institute’s Mentorship Programs was also noteworthy.  “More than 130 entrepreneurs and business professionals, along with 13 entrepreneurs in residence, serve as mentors to our students.  These mentors constitute a critical resource in achieving our mission, which is to inspire and nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs through transformational education and research,” he said.

“UMKC is committed to entrepreneurship education and has a strategic goal to integrate entrepreneurship and innovation education across the university,” Leo Morton, UMKC Chancellor, said. “This drives UMKC to be one of the central pillars in the Kansas City’s goal to become one of America’s Most Entrepreneurial Cities along with global entrepreneurship partners like the Kauffman Foundation.”

For more information about entrepreneurship education at UMKC, visit Bloch Entrepreneurship.