Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Leavey School of Business Gets New Director; SCU Alumnus Kevin Holmes Heads up Interdisciplinary Center

Business Wire, Oct 18, 2005

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Kevin Holmes, whose undergraduate days at Santa Clara University included work with the national collegiate marketing firm, AllDorm, Inc, has joined the Leavey School of Business as executive director of its Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE). Holmes, a 2001 history graduate, served as chief operating officer for AllDorm, and helped to strategically reposition the company from an e-commerce site begun while its founders were Santa Clara University undergraduate students, into a niche marketing firm, enjoying a 1,200-campus network.

"Kevin brings a unique combination of start-up experience and connections to established Silicon Valley firms," said Barry Z. Posner, dean of the School of Business, in announcing the appointment. "His background is ideal in helping us integrate the entrepreneurial perspective into our undergraduate and graduate curriculum."

As executive director of the Center, Holmes will be responsible for developing strategic plans in conjunction with the School's academic directors and the Center's Executive Fellows. In addition, he will develop program partnerships and alliances for the Center's initiatives, and mentor SCU students in entrepreneurial endeavors.

"With the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship as a curriculum partner and SCU's School of Business connections with Silicon Valley, students can leverage these resources as they develop their business skills," said Holmes. "It's an incredible launching point for the newest products and services." Holmes adds, "The values of SCU's Business School, developing leaders of principled confidence who know how to build powerful teams, will be foundational to the work of CIE."

About the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Launched as an interdisciplinary research initiative of Santa Clara University's School of Business in 1997, the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship has grown to provide program support for business student organizations, serve as a resource center for business leaders, and to connect global entrepreneurs with business thought leaders on the business school faculty.

About the Leavey School of Business

The Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University began in 1926, and was one of the first business schools in the country to receive national accreditation. Its undergraduate business program is recognized as one of the best in California, and its MBA program is ranked 10th in the nation among part-time graduate programs for working professionals. More than 80 percent of its 1,100 MBA student body are working professionals in the Bay Area.

About Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located in California's Silicon Valley, offers its 8,213 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus master's and law degrees. Distinguished nationally by the third-highest graduation rate among all U.S. master's universities, California's oldest higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. More information is online at www.scu.edu.