MEDIA CONTACT: Bob Keltie
561-297-3177, rkeltie@fau.edu

FAU's Entrepreneurship Program Rated Best In The State

Boca Raton, FL (May 6, 2004) - Florida Atlantic University's Entrepreneurship Program was rated the highest among all entrepreneurship programs in Florida, according to Entrepreneur magazine. In its 2004 second annual survey of the nation's top 845 entrepreneurship programs, the FAU Entrepreneurship Program in the College of Business was ranked ahead of all other Florida universities.

"We are extremely proud of this ranking," said Dr. Bruce Mallen, dean of the College of Business. "These achievements confirm the progress we are making in establishing the College of Business as a nationally-recognized business school."
FAU's entrepreneurship program has been a Florida pioneer in the area of small business / entrepreneurial education and services. In 1972, a number of innovative programs were initiated, including undergraduate courses in small business / entrepreneurship. A year later, a Small Business Institute was created in which student teams provided consultation to local businesses. Then, in 1974, FAU created one of the first undergraduate concentrations in entrepreneurship in the country. Eight years later, FAU created one of the first Small Business Development Centers in the nation. The success of this program has been highlighted over and over again. In 1998, Success magazine ranked FAU's entrepreneurship faculty as third in the country. In 2001, FAU's Entrepreneurship Program was ranked among the top 50 in the USA by Success magazine.

Capitalizing on the success of the program, the generous donation of Scott Adams and the leadership of Dean Bruce Mallen, the Adams Center for IT Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital was established under the InternetCoast Institute in FAU's College of Business. The Adams Center has the mission of facilitating practical entrepreneurial education programs, encouraging applied research which advances entrepreneurial education and practices and developing outreach programs to establish linkage among entrepreneurs, faculty and students.

For more information, contact Dr. Larry Klatt, director of the Adams Center, or Professor Bob Keltie, assistant director, at 561-297-3177 or rkeltie@fau.edu.

-FAU-