Entrepreneur Magazine Ranks Neeley Entrepreneurship Program at TCU Among Elite in Nation and Tops in Texas; Fourth-Year Program Builds on Success, Achieves Increased National Honors

Business Wire, April 21, 2004

Business Editors/Education Writers

FORT WORTH, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 21, 2004

One of the top U.S. colleges and universities for entrepreneurs, as identified in the May 2004 issue of Entrepreneur magazine, is the M. J. Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University (TCU). Ranking within the top 2 percent of the more than 825 entrepreneurship programs researched for the study, the second annual national listing rates TCU's entrepreneurship program as No. 1 among universities in Texas.

The final rankings are based on more than 70 separate criteria, including course offerings, teaching and research faculty, business-community outreach, research centers and institutes, degrees and certificates offered, and faculty and alumni evaluations. Over the past 30 years, emphasis on entrepreneurial education has rapidly expanded. Currently, TechKnowledge Point Corp., the research company that conducted the study, has data on more than 875 entrepreneurship programs at colleges and universities in the United States. Entrepreneur magazine's article breaks down the various types of entrepreneurship programs and advises students how to choose one that meets their needs.

"It's an honor to announce that TCU has again been recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as one of the top entrepreneurship programs in the nation in just its fourth year of existence," said David Minor, director of the Neeley Entrepreneurship Program at TCU. "We are proud of this accomplishment and we believe that the recognition accurately reflects the planning, hard work, and commitment of our faculty, students and benefactors who collectively enable the TCU entrepreneurship program to be mentioned in the same sentence as the nation's very best entrepreneurship programs."

Additionally, Entrepreneur honored David Minor as the No. 7 entrepreneurship program director in the nation, as voted on by entrepreneurship program directors around the country.

Entrepreneur's second annual evaluation of the best entrepreneurship programs at U.S. colleges and universities is the most credible and comprehensive analysis of its kind. The study was conducted from September to December 2003 by TechKnowledge Point, of Santa Barbara, Calif. Founded in 2001 by David Newton, TechKnowledge Point is the world's first and only 24/7 online research and referral exchange for entrepreneurship and enterprise development.

Founded in 2000, TCU's entrepreneurship program is ranked by Entrepreneur magazine among schools that have been operating for an average of 15 years. Thanks to the support of its administration, alumni and strong ties to the Dallas/Fort Worth business community, TCU's entrepreneurship program has achieved unprecedented growth in its short history. Indicative of its rapid road to success was the program's 2003 completion and opening of the Steve & Sarah Smith Entrepreneurs Hall, a 50,000-square-foot building dedicated to the spirit of entrepreneurship; it is one of only three such buildings in the nation. This beautiful building was funded by part of the $17.5 million in contributions that have been committed to the program during the last four years.

"At TCU, we are committed to developing ethical leaders with a global perspective who will help shape the business environment, and the TCU entrepreneurship program achieves those objectives," said M. J. Neeley School of Business Dean Robert F. Lusch. "I applaud the accomplishments of the program's faculty, staff and students. In just four years since its founding, the entrepreneurship program has exceeded expectations and quickly become one of the best programs in the country."

About the TCU Entrepreneurship Program

The entrepreneurship program of the M. J. Neeley School of Business is ranked in the top 2 percent in the nation by Entrepreneur magazine. In 2003, the program's Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO) club was named the best chapter in the country out of 140 participating schools at the national CEO conference in Chicago. Additionally, NASDAQ recognized the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies in the M. J. Neeley School of Business at TCU as a "Center of Excellence," one of only three in the country to be honored with that distinction in 2003. Undergraduates can major in entrepreneurial management and graduate students can earn a concentration in entrepreneurship.