Seton Hill University

Seton Hill University named one of the Top 100
Entrepreneurial Colleges in US

For the second consecutive year Seton Hill University has been named one of the Top 100 Entrepreneurial Colleges and Universities in the United States, by Entrepreneur magazine. The university edges out over 825 entrepreneurship programs that were researched for this study and appears in the 4th tier of the top 50 regionally recognized academic programs in the country. Seton Hill is the only University of its size from Western Pennsylvania to make the list.

Entrepreneur's 2nd annual evaluation of the best entrepreneurship programs at U.S. colleges and universities is the most credible and comprehensive analysis of its kind. The final rankings are based on more than 70 separate criteria, including course offerings, teaching and research faculty, business-community outreaches, research centers and institutes, degrees and certificates offered, and faculty and alumni evaluations. These results appear in Entrepreneur's May 2004 issue.

"As a pioneer in entrepreneurial education we are extremely proud of this recognition," said Seton Hill University President Dr. JoAnne Boyle. "It is a testament to our faculty, staff, alumni and students who embrace entrepreneurial thinking, such as problem solving and life long learning as skills that are fundamental for all career paths. At Seton Hill we believe in providing students with skills that will empower them to not only be successful, but lead change in their own communities."

TechKnowledge Point Corp. of Santa Barbara, California conducted Entrepreneur's second annual evaluation of the best entrepreneurship programs among U.S. colleges and universities from September to December 2003. The study concludes that entrepreneurship education is moving toward experiential education where students are offered out-of-classroom opportunities ranging from consulting with real-world small businesses to participation in campus funded incubators. Five additional Pennsylvania schools to make Entrepreneur's Top 100 list include the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) and Temple University in Philadelphia, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, The Pennsylvania State University in University Park and Mulenburg College in Allentown.

Entrepreneurship education used to be limited to a handful of courses taught in a few business schools. Now it's become much more, including full-fledged doctoral degree programs, university departments, endowed professorships, and even a change in the way entire universities approach educating their students. David Newton, CEO of TechKnowledge Point Corp. says the cross-curriculum movement promises to institutionalize entrepreneurial thinking in higher education outside of the business school, making it part of far more students' educations.

Newton, who is also a professor of entrepreneurial finance at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, adds, "A high-quality liberal arts education is now viewed as a perfect complement to an entrepreneurship education and perspective, and vice versa."

An integral component of Seton Hill University's entrepreneurial studies is the National Education Center for Women in Business (NECWB), a division established in 1991 by the institution's management faculty to strengthen the economic impact of women business owners as a collective force and to advance their growth through innovative programming in entrepreneurship and new venture creation. Since its inception the NECWB has reached thousands of women with its model educational initiatives and has distinguished itself as a leading authority on small business issues.

The University's newest endeavor, the creation of the Seton Hill University Center, is intended to help revitalize Greensburg's downtown business district. Jayne H. Huston, Director of the NECWB says that the University is taking appropriate steps to develop a business incubation program to complement the area's economic development strategy as an envisioned as part of the completed project. Funded by The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), her department will conduct a feasibility study within the next few months to determine the need for a business incubator in the region, as well as the requirements for it to be successful.

Seton Hill, chartered in 1918, is a coeducational Catholic liberal arts university with more than 30 undergraduate programs  and 7 graduate programs, including an MBA.

For more information on Seton Hill please visit www.setonhill.edu or call 1-800-826-6234.