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News Release

Last modified: Tuesday, March 22, 2005

IU Kelley School of Business' entrepreneurship program and director named among nation's best

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Kelley School of Business at Indiana University has achieved one of its highest rankings for entrepreneurship in the latest national rankings released by Entrepreneur magazine in its April 2005 edition.

The top 10 list of universities was selected by fellow entrepreneurship faculty, center directors and alumni from across the nation. Indiana University ranked fourth overall, with Babson College, the University of Arizona and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, placing in the first three spots. Other institutions in the top 10 included Southern Methodist University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Colorado-Boulder and Wake Forest.

In addition, the magazine ranked the top five entrepreneurship center directors, as voted by their peers from across the nation. IU's Donald F. Kuratko, the Jack M. Gill chair of entrepreneurship and executive director of the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, was ranked No. 2 in the nation. Only the Babson College directors were ahead of him. This is the third consecutive year that Kuratko has been ranked by his peers as one of the top two directors.

"This is a terrific honor for the Johnson Center, the Kelley School of Business and Indiana University," Kuratko said. "I am excited for our faculty, students and supporters -- all of whom are responsible for this high ranking. While I am personally humbled and honored by the individual ranking I received from my peers, having Indiana University achieve a No. 4 ranking is even more gratifying, as it demonstrates the impact we are now having across the nation.

"I have continually stated that the Kelley School of Business has world-class faculty, students and leadership. This type of ranking is another illustration that our peer institutions across the nation recognize our entrepreneurship program in that same light," he added.

Daniel C. Smith, interim dean of IU's Kelley School of Business, affirmed, "This is another validation of our commitment to entrepreneurial excellence here at the Kelley School of Business. It is a testimonial to the work of our faculty, students and staff, who all contribute to the nationally recognized entrepreneurship programs we have. I am very proud of Don Kuratko's individual recognition by his peers as it demonstrates the national visibility he has created and the outstanding leadership he provides our Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation."

The magazine also listed the Top 50 national universities and Top 50 regional universities for entrepreneurship as compiled by the venture research firm, TechKnowledge Point, which conducted the survey for Entrepreneur magazine. In the national listing, IU placed in the top 25 (second quartile) along with institutions such as UCLA, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, the University of Michigan, Northwestern University and the University of Notre Dame.

According to the survey format, IU is considered a "comprehensive national university" because of its complete offerings in entrepreneurship at the bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. levels. According to Kuratko, "this is another indication of the national stature that our program represents. We are continually striving to be recognized as the nation's best university for entrepreneurship, and I think this ranking demonstrates our journey is right on track."

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