Kansas City, Mo. – The University of Missouri-Kansas City Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (IEI) entrepreneurship MBA emphasis was recognized as the 2012 National Model Graduate Entrepreneurship Program by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE). The IEI and MBA program are housed within the Henry W. Bloch School of Management.
The award was based on seven basic criteria including innovative program elements, quality of faculty and school, program comprehensiveness, nature and level of student support and impact on the discipline, the students, and the community.
The award comes on the heels of several years of significant recognition for the University, School and Institute, including having both the undergraduate and graduate programs ranked in the top 25 in the nation by The Princeton Review, and, most recently, UMKC’s designation as the No. 1 university in the world for innovation management research – research driven by three of the Bloch School’s entrepreneurship faculty, including Michael Song, the No. 1 scholar in the world for innovation management and executive director of the IEI.
“The significance of being recognized by an institution like USASBE as a model program is twofold,” said Teng-Kee Tan, dean of the Bloch School. “First, it confirms the excellence of our program across all key areas – including innovation management research, cross-disciplinary collaboration, student venture creation, program curriculum, world-class faculty and teaching and pedagogical innovation. Second, this award positions us as a national model that other institutions can adopt in their schools to build excellent programs for their region. This reinforces the vision of Ewing Marion Kauffman through partnership with the Kauffman Foundation, which is to encourage investment in this institution so that we continue to become a national entrepreneurship education model for others across the country to emulate.”
The award also follows the announcement of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s Big 5 initiatives for the city, among which is the goal to become the nation’s most entrepreneurial city. “UMKC is committed to the importance of entrepreneurship education and infusing an entrepreneurial and innovative mindset across all disciplines, including law, engineering, health sciences, public administration, performing arts and others. This drives UMKC to be one of the central pillars in the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s Big 5 initiatives along with global entrepreneurship partners like the Kauffman Foundation,” said Leo Morton, UMKC Chancellor.
For more information about entrepreneurship education at UMKC, visit IEI.
About the Bloch School
The Henry W. Bloch School of Management aspires to be Kansas City’s nationally preeminent school of management focusing on entrepreneurial and innovative thinking as the foundation for transforming talent and achieving sustainable growth in for-profit, public and nonprofit enterprises.
About IEI
The UMKC Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation inspires and nurtures future generations of entrepreneurs, delivering transformational entrepreneurship education and experiences university-wide. Housed at the University of Missouri – Kansas City’s (UMKC) Bloch School, the Institute’s vision is to be the world’s leading research and education institutes for entrepreneurship and innovation.
About UMKC
The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 15,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a four-part mission: life and health sciences; visual and performing arts; urban issues and education; and a vibrant learning and campus life experience. For more information about UMKC, visit www.umkc.edu. You also can find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and watch us on YouTube.