Entrepreneurship program ranked second in the country
The Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprise undergraduate program at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management was ranked second in the country this year, enabling the school to rebound after being ranked 61st overall.
“I was surprised but impressed at the same time,” said Julia Chen, a junior retail management and supply chain major. “Whitman as a whole isn’t as high as an individual program it offers, so that’s odd, but I think it’s a great accomplishment for both the school and program.”
George Burman, EEE professor and department chair, said the department is very proud of this year’s high ranking.
“I believe it is deserved when you look at the quality of our faculty in teaching and in research, the broad curriculum we offer, the strong student interest in our program and the companies they are creating, and our valuable outreach programs serving a wide range of clients,” Burman said.
G. Thomas Lumpkin, the Chris J. Witting chair in entrepreneurship, said while Whitman’s faculty and staff are proud of the entrepreneurship department’s high ranking, comparing the EEE standing to Whitman’s overall standing “is like comparing apples to oranges.”
The EEE program is integrated into the studies of all Whitman students because a major focus of Whitman overall is entrepreneurial management. Each student in Whitman must take a capstone course in entrepreneurship, Lumpkin said. Additionally, all students pursuing a minor in Whitman must take EEE 370: “Introduction to Entrepreneurship,” according to the Whitman website.
Clarice Muron-Bendaoud, a junior political science major and marketing minor, said she thought taking an entrepreneurship course was a worthwhile requirement.
“EEE along with other introductory minor requirements such as accounting and finance give you a concise but well developed understanding on the elements that compose business,” Muron-Bendaoud said.
Along with its entrepreneurship course requirements, Whitman’s Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship coordinates entrepreneurial activities throughout the campus and the community. One of its most notable programs is the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities. The EBV allows post-9/11 veterans to harness tools and plans to launch a small business, according to the Falcone Center website.
“This summer, 60 Minutes filmed footage of the workshop, and I believe it’ll be aired sometime this year,” Lumpkin said. “This just shows how much publicity the EEE program receives, and that, in my opinion, helped with the rating.”
