Belmont Center for Entrepreneurship Gets Top Honor
Hats off to Professor Jeff Cornwall, Director of the Belmont University Center for Entrepreneurship.
Over the weekend, the Belmont University Center for Entrepreneurship received the 2008 National Model Undergraduate Program award. The award came at the annual United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship conference.
Jeff, who writes at The Entrepreneurial Mind, is a “friend of the site.” He is one of the first proprietors of a small-business blog that I ever connected with, back in 2004. When I emailed Jeff about the award earlier this week, he told me:
“This is an amazing time to be teaching entrepreneurs. This generation has business ownership as one of their top goals. They are full of energy, excitement, and optimism. Many young people today are graduating from college with a successful business already operating and growing. Although my entrepreneurial career has passed, I am able to continue to live the dream of free enterprise through my students and alumni.”
I had the good fortune to meet Jeff in person when we both participated in an expert panel for the Future of Small Business Report. He is just as down to earth in person as he comes across in his blog.
One thing I take issue with, though: I do NOT think Jeff’s entrepreneurial career has passed at all. Today, even those in academia need to be businesspeople and marketers. To get funding and support, to attract professors and students — yes, it takes great academics. But in part you need to treat your program like a business. I think this award is proof that Jeff’s entrepreneurial skills are alive and well.
January 15th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Jeff should be very proud to be involved with winning such a great award. You can tell from his comment that he has a great passion for entrepreneurship. Kudos to him for encouraging our younger generations.
January 15th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
I got in contact with Jeff Cornwall in 2005 after reading his post, Bank Mergers and Small Business. I sent him an email and asked if he had heard about BB&T and I mentioned my post, A Fair Market Is A Free Market. He replied in a nice way. I want to visit Nashville, TN, on my next trip to America. It would be fun to meet blog “prof” Glenn “InstaPundit” Reynolds and Allen Forkum of Cox & Forkum (editorial cartoonists).
Best Premises,
Martin Lindeskog - American in Spirit.
Gothenburg, Sweden.