March 24, 2010

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Fortune magazine reports that the entrepreneurship program offered by Indiana University's Kelley School of Business is among the top five programs nationally for educating entrepreneurs.

Donald F. Kuratko

Fortune ranked the top five entrepreneurship programs with IU's Kelley School listed as No. 2 overall and the No. 1 public university in its March 22 issue. The report is also featured at CNNMoney.com.

The magazine noted that Kelley's entrepreneurship faculty was a "competitive edge," and added that "the faculty reads like a who's who of entrepreneurial-thought leadership" and "the faculty swarms with experts."

The magazine listed the "good to know" points for each school and highlighted the unique undergraduate capstone course, nicknamed the "Spine Sweat Experience." In the course, seniors are required to pitch ideas to an outside panel of investors. Those who fail have to put off graduation for a semester.

The magazine also praised professor Donald F. Kuratko, the Jack M. Gill Chair of Entrepreneurship and executive director of the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, stating, "Kuratko not only wrote the textbook on entrepreneurship but has also collected every major entrepreneurial award." He was the only professor mentioned among the ranked schools.

Kuratko said he is proud of this newest recognition for the entrepreneurship program and for the school. "I am certainly honored to be featured this way in the Fortune article," he said, "but I am more proud of the recognition of our faculty team here at IU that it is respected worldwide for their research and leadership in entrepreneurship."

Dan Smith, dean of the Kelley School, added, "Having our entrepreneurship program recognized by Fortune is another great honor for us. Our faculty, in the entrepreneurship area, is among the most prominent in the world. Beyond being extraordinary scholars, they go the extra mile to provide our students with a life-changing experience."

The entrepreneurship program and faculty at the Kelley School continue to be regarded as one of the world's finest with respect to research, teaching and leadership in the field.