Entrepreneurship and innovation are at the heart of many business schools. However, for 35 global business schools, their commitment to creating and incubating cutting-edge business innovations and fostering entrepreneurship in the next generation of business leaders stands above the rest. In the inaugural AACSB Entrepreneurship Spotlight Challenge, the Albers Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at Seattle University’s Albers School of Business and Economics was recognized as one of the best in the world.
The Challenge highlighted AACSB accredited schools that deliver innovative and creative best practices through a range of entrepreneurship programs and centers. To participate, schools were invited to submit an example of how they are committed to student learning while offering opportunities for students to acquire the necessary skills to be successful in business.
The selection process involved a panel of corporate leaders from venture capital, consulting and accounting. The panel reviewed a total of 120 nominations across 34 countries, to narrow down their list of the top 20 entrepreneurship centers and the top 15 entrepreneurship programs. In the end, the judges noticed three themes emerging:
- Entrepreneurship is cross-disciplinary: Using unique strategies, many business schools connected students in a variety of disciplines from arts to music, STEM, medicine and more to create a diverse entrepreneurial ecosystem.
- Society benefits from an entrepreneurial approach: Entrepreneurship isn’t just about financial gain; many pressing social issues can be addressed through innovation and creativity.
- Entrepreneurship and experiential learning go together: Hands-on immersion through consulting projects, collaboration with business owners, and more are vital to the entrepreneurial experience.
“Entrepreneurship isn’t a buzzword anymore—it’s an instinctual drive that blends visionary, creative thinking with a little bit of bravery,” said Thomas R. Robinson, president and CEO of AACSB. “For today’s world, graduates need to be agile thinkers, and business schools are putting the mechanisms into place that challenge students to anticipate the unknown through integrated, real-time learning.”
The Albers Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center links students with the business community through action-oriented instruction, applied learning and hands-on experiences. Business leaders, community supporters, and alumni service as advisors and mentors for students helping to connect them with internships, networking, business plan competition, guest lectures and more.