Verne Harnish Awarded UD’s Siegfried Award for Entrepreneurial Leadership
The University of Delaware Horn Entrepreneurship recently named renowned author and business growth expert Verne Harnish the recipient of the 2017 Siegfried Award for Entrepreneurial Leadership.
According to the founding director of Horn Entrepreneurship, Dan Freeman, “The award selection criteria focus on recognizing anyone who has made outstanding contributions to the understanding and practice of entrepreneurial leadership, which might include entrepreneurs, educators, or consultants.”
There is no question as to whether Harnish has been profoundly influential in the areas Freeman listed. Entrepreneurs are often visionaries in their industries, however Harnish is a pioneer in the field of entrepreneurship itself. In 1987, he founded the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO)—formerly the Young Entrepreneurs’ Organization—with 22 former members of the Association of Collegiate Entrepreneurs. EO is a peer-to-peer network that connects business leaders around the globe. Harnish also serves as CEO of Gazelles, which specializes in coaching and global executive education.
Harnish earned his BS in mechanical engineering before pursuing his MBA from Wichita State University. Harnish is also a columnist in Fortune magazine, and also writes “The Growth Guy,” a syndicated column that explores avenues of business expansion and the challenges that might present themselves along the way. He has also authored bestselling books, including “Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It…and Why the Rest Don’t” and “Mastering the Rockerfeller Habits.”
Robert L. Siegfried, CEO and founder of The Siegfried group and advisory board chair for UD’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, originated the Siegfried Award for Entrepreneurial leadership. Siegfried felt that Harnish was the ideal candidate for the honor for both objective and personal reasons.
“I’ve had the pleasure of learning from and working with Verne, and his contributions to the field of entrepreneurial leadership are so important,” Siegfried said. “Verne helped me clarify the kind of leader I wanted to be and he continues to do that for countless others every day.”
The Siegfried Group was established in 1988, and the CPA firm has since made its mission to help financial executives hone their leadership skills while supporting companies working through challenging projects.
Lerner College to Host Social Media Expert at Gore Lecture Series
The Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics (Lerner College) will host a top social media expert to discuss the cultural effects of social media at the upcoming W.L. Gore Lecture Series in Management Science on April 28, 2016.
The speaker, Sinan Aral, is The David Austin Professor of Management at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. He was recently named as one of Poets and Quants’ Best 40 Under 40 business school professors.
Entrepreneurship MBA Grows in Popularity
Entrepreneurship has become an increasingly popular concentration among MBA students who are interested in starting their own businesses as well as those who are hoping to develop innovative business ideas. According to The Independent, “in the past big employers might have been reluctant to hire MBA graduates with significant entrepreneurship coursework for fear that the new recruits would use the job to learn the ropes before leaving to start ventures of their own, today’s large firms are increasingly recognising that innovation and entrepreneurial skills are vital to enable them to compete.”
TopMBA.com explains that completing an MBA in Entrepreneurship has been a controversial decision. “For some, the degree will be a huge help in building a professional network, seeking venture capital and building a successful startup. It also affords you a rare chance to fail in a safe environment, whereas a failed venture outside of a business school environment can be devastating.”
Lerner Student Opens Biz in West Chester
Lerner College of Business and Economics MBA student Matt Kay has opened a new weightless floating spa in West Chester, Pennsylvania. His spa is the largest of its kind within 125 miles.
During therapeutic floating, a client enters a tub containing water as well as over 1,000 pounds of Epsom salts. The density of this mixture allows the client to float effortlessly in the water, inducing a state of deep meditative relaxation and alleviating physical discomfort.
