Northeastern University College of Business Administration Ranked in U.S. Top 25 Undergraduate Programs for Entrepreneurship

Business Wire, Nov 6, 2007

Long-Standing History of Cross-Disciplinary Teaching of Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Coupled with New Social Entrepreneurship Initiatives, Continue to Build College's Reputation

BOSTON -- Northeastern University College of Business Administration today announced that its undergraduate program was ranked 24th in the U.S. by Entrepreneur magazine and The Princeton Review in their fifth annual ranking of top entrepreneurship undergraduate programs. 900 schools were evaluated in this year's ranking, based on key criteria in the areas of academics and requirements, students and faculty, and outside-the-classroom support and experiences. Only two New England-based undergraduate programs appeared in the top 25.

"The College of Business Administration has a long-established history and reputation of cross-disciplinary teaching of entrepreneurship and innovation," said Peggy Fletcher, associate dean of the College's undergraduate programs. "We continue to see increasing interest in and recognition for our entrepreneurship major for business students. Additionally, we are expanding our offerings in entrepreneurship to now include social entrepreneurship, international business entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurship for non-business students."

"I chose to attend Northeastern as an undergraduate because of the College of Business Administration's reputation for being a breeding-ground for entrepreneurs. Through the classes I took, the faculty who guided and mentored me, and my cooperative education experience, my entrepreneurial fires were built and stoked," said Neil Wadhawan, president of Heartwood Studios. "As a result, I was able to start two successful businesses while I was an undergraduate student, including my current company, which will gross several million dollars this year." Mr. Wadhawan graduated from the College of Business Administration in 2004.

Thomas E. Moore, dean of the College of Business Administration, remarked, "Our new initiative in social entrepreneurship is important to foster a new generation of entrepreneurs driven to create successful businesses and help others to do the same. Going well beyond simply taking classes on social entrepreneurship, our students are actively developing and participating in a variety of social entrepreneurship projects, including the creation of an innovative microfinance program in Africa, an urban dental care initiative for low income children, and a cancer patient social networking project."

Launched last year, the Meheba Entrepreneurs Society & Institute (MESI) is a student-led entrepreneurship center to offer business training and microcredit loans to refuges in the Meheba refugee camp, which operates under the aegis of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Zambia. Rather than simply giving and recollecting loans like traditional microfinance initiatives, the MESI program ensures that all loan recipients are fully prepared to start a small business. It provides entrepreneurial education workshops covering subjects such as Leadership, Microfinance, Business Management, and Accounting. Before receiving loans, recipients must complete a two-month training process. Social entrepreneurship students collaborated with an executive professor at the College of Business Administration to develop the MESI curriculum, and the entire program has been implemented and run by students.

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About The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review (Nasdaq: REVU) is a pioneer in the world of education. Founded in 1981 and headquartered in New York City, the Company offers private tutoring and classroom and online test preparation to help students improve their scores in college and graduate school admissions tests. The Company's free website, www.PrincetonReview.com, helps over half of university-bound students to research, apply to, prepare for, and learn how to pay for their higher education. In addition, The Princeton Review works with school districts around the U.S. to measurably strengthen students' academic skills by connecting ongoing assessment with professional development and instruction and by providing districts with college and career resources for both students and guidance counselors. The Company also authors more than 200 print and software titles on test preparation, college and graduate school selection and admissions, and related topics.