Washington University is among 15 universities across the country selected by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City, Mo., to participate in the Foundation’s Kauffman Campuses Initiative, a new program aimed at making entrepreneurship education a common and accessible campus-wide opportunity. The new Kauffman program builds on an emerging trend among colleges and universities to expand entrepreneurship education beyond business schools so that entrepreneurship training and experiences are available across the University’s schools and academic departments and to students of diverse disciplines.
Washington University will use a $50,000 planning grant awarded by the Kauffman Foundation to help fund development of a proposal to be presented this December. The Foundation will award five to seven challenge grants of up to $5 million at that time based on demonstrated ability to:
* Make entrepreneurship a common and accessible experience for all students.
* Infuse entrepreneurship into campus culture.
* Adopt a unique, innovative and potentially breakaway approach.
* Provide support from top university leadership.
* Position Washington University to serve as a model for other colleges and universities.
“We believe deeply in the potential of entrepreneurship education across all disciplines and majors to open doors and change lives, and we welcome the opportunity to play a leadership role in making such learning accessible to all students at Washington University,” said Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton. “It is an honor to be chosen as a finalist by the Kauffman Foundation, a national leader in the advancement of entrepreneurial education. We regard this invitation as a testament to the high quality of our interdisciplinary programs and our innovative approaches to learning.
“The Kauffman Campuses Initiative provides us with an outstanding opportunity to build upon the strengths of our entrepreneurship initiatives which were created through the generous investment of Robert and Julie Skandalaris,” Wrighton noted. Several components of the Skandalaris Entrepreneurship Program have been funded through an endowed gift from the Skandalarises.