Babson College Coming to Boston's Innovation District

Mayor Menino welcomes world's top program for entrepreneurship to waterfront innovation cluster

WELLESLEY, Mass., June 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Babson College announced that the college, ranked #1 in the world for entrepreneurship, had signed a lease in Boston's Innovation District.  The facility will be equipped with new classroom and conference room space and will begin hosting MBA courses in September 2011. Babson also plans to use the new location for lectures and events and to make it a hub of innovation activity in Boston. The 3,500 square-foot facility at 253 Summer Street will give Babson a foothold as it looks to build its Boston presence, close to downtown businesses, start-ups and research based companies on the waterfront, and Logan International Airport.  

"This announcement signals our commitment to Boston and the executives, the entrepreneurs, and the students that live, work, and travel there," said Leonard A. Schlesinger, President of Babson College. "We put a toe in the water with our Hatchery at One Marina Park, we are now landing on Summer Street, and we look forward to a growing role in Boston's Innovation District."

"An outstanding program for entrepreneurship is coming to an outstanding cluster for innovative businesses," said Mayor Menino. "Babson and Boston are a great match.  Colleges and universities are engines for talent and new businesses, and we know Babson will help fuel Boston's growth."

Babson plans to seek approval from its accrediting body to offer courses for full-time and evening MBAs on Summer Street.  A limited number of courses will be offered in this facility as a convenience to students who live and work in downtown Boston.  Babson's Boston facility will be located in Fort Point, the historic area that is now home to a growing number of innovation companies and steps from Boston's downtown, its financial center, the convention center, and the Rose Kennedy Greenway. 

"When you think about the proximity to Boston's downtown, to the waterfront, to our start-ups, and to the airport, Babson really picked the perfect place," added Mayor Menino. 

Boston's Innovation District, 1,000 acres on the South Boston Waterfront, is a growing home to startup, research-based, and other innovation companies.  In 2010, Mayor Thomas M. Menino launched the Innovation District strategy to enhance already strong opportunities for innovation companies in Boston and the region.  Under his leadership, the City of Boston has worked to attract a cluster of innovative companies, to build live/work housing for their employees, and to support a social infrastructure that builds connections between people, businesses, sectors, and cities.  For more information, visit www.innovationdistrict.org or @idboston. 

Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds™. The College is a dynamic living and learning laboratory, where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society -- while at the same time evolving our methods and advancing our programs. We shape the leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to create economic and social value. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought and Action™ as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value.

Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., is recognized internationally as a leader in entrepreneurial management education. Babson grants BS degrees through its innovative undergraduate program, and grants MBA and custom MS and MBA degrees through the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College. Babson Executive Education offers executive development programs to experienced managers worldwide. For information, visit www.babson.edu.

SOURCE Babson College