Week of May 27, 2003
California State University, Long Beach has been named one of the Top 100 U.S. College and Universities for entrepreneurs in a recent issue of Entrepreneur magazine.
More than 700 entrepreneurship programs were researched for the study, and Cal State Long Beach appears in the fourth tier of the list of the top 50 regionally recognized academic programs in the country.
"Our minor in entrepreneurship was launched in 2000 and has less than 10 declared students. However, we have been educating many students for careers in entrepreneurship ever since we opened our doors to the public," said Luis Calingo, dean for the College of Business Administration at CSULB. "The strength of our program lies in the quality of our alumni, and this recognition from Entrepreneur magazine is a testimony to our alumni's accomplishments."
Among those alumni who have become successful entrepreneurs are Dennis L. Devereaux, co-founder of Corinthian Colleges, Inc., one of the country's largest for-profit post-secondary education organizations with 61 colleges in 20 states; Wayne W. Murdy, chairman and CEO of Newmont Mining Corp., the world's largest gold producer; and A Maurice Myers, chairman, president and CEO of Waste Management, Inc., the largest waste services provider in the nation.
Entrepreneur's first-ever 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 2002 by TechKnowledge Point Corp. of Santa Barbara. Founded in 2001 by David Newton, TechKnowledge Point is the worldÿ¿s first entrepreneurship/ business development research and referral exchange.
In 1970, a national survey of business schools found only 16 courses offered in entrepreneurship. Over the last 30 years, however, the idea of entrepreneurial education has exploded. Currently, TechKnowledge Point 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.
More than 30 criteria were used in the study, including course offerings, teaching and research faculty, business-community outreaches, research centers and institutes, degrees and certificates offered and faculty and alumni evaluations. In addition, almost 300 colleges and universities responded to surveys designed to allow program directors, faculty and alumni to rank their own entrepreneurship programs against the competition. These results appear, along with the top 100 list.