Michigan Ross and the Zell Lurie Institute Again Named a Top Graduate Program in Entrepreneurship

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Sept. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business announced that it has captured a position in the top three graduate entrepreneurship programs in the nation for the third year in a row, driven in large part by the programs, initiatives and courses offered through the school's Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies. This is the third consecutive year that Ross has attained a spot in the top three in the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine's joint ranking of the "Top 25 Graduate Schools for Entrepreneurship Programs for 2015," which surveyed more than 2,000 schools.

"Developing successful entrepreneurs is core to Ross and the University of Michigan, and has been for decades," said Alison Davis-Blake, dean of the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. "Interest in entrepreneurship continues to grow and we're proud to be one of the top business schools to study and teach best practices in new business creation. Through our Zell Lurie Institute, students have access to impressive resources and faculty to help them successfully transform their innovative ideas into viable businesses."

"To be included yet again in the top ranking across the nation is an honor for us and proof that our initiatives are having an impact on students, alumni and the overall entrepreneurial ecosystem," said Stewart Thornhill, executive director of the Zell Lurie Institute. "This past year we've worked to increase cross-campus collaboration, accelerate the growth of student-led entrepreneurial companies and engage U-M alumni and practicing entrepreneurs in customized executive-education programs. With multiple action-based learning opportunities available to our students, we're looking forward to another year of boundaryless learning and success for our student community."

The University of Michigan has set the bar for entrepreneurial education since 1927, when it offered the nation's first course in entrepreneurship. Iconic American businessman Sam Zell and distinguished philanthropist Ann Lurie, the wife of Zell's late business partner, Robert H. Lurie, made a generous $10 million gift that was used to launch an entity dedicated solely to entrepreneurial education, the Zell Lurie Institute.

"We are on our way to building one of the top campus-wide entrepreneurial education experiences in the country," said Thomas Zurbuchen, senior counselor for entrepreneurship at the University of Michigan. "We are connecting programs in business, engineering, information, medicine, law, public health and more – joining forces across the university to create a truly collaborative entrepreneurial program."

Since its inception, Zell Lurie has been leading the way in entrepreneurial education. In the past year, the Institute has continued to innovate through the introduction of new initiatives, including the launch of the new Desai Family Accelerator. With this new program, startups in the area can benefit from student assistance as these early-stage companies progress and bring new innovations to market.

This new initiative serves as a complement to a robust portfolio of offerings that include:

• Three student-led venture funds, including the pioneering Wolverine Venture Fund, that have nearly $7 million under management, delivering returns comparable to the top quartile of professionally-managed funds
• TechArb, a student accelerator jointly managed by Zell Lurie in partnership with the Center for Entrepreneurship at the College of Engineering
• The Michigan Business Challenge, an annual business plan competition that exposes students to the rigorous, multi-phase business development and planning process
• Dare to Dream Grants of up to $5,000 for student startups that support business development from ideation to launch
• Entrepalooza, the annual university-wide symposium designed to bring together entrepreneurship and venture capital leaders to share insights and experiences with students, alumni, faculty and members of the broader business community
• The annual Michigan Growth Capital Symposium, a major driver of entrepreneurial engagement in the region, showcasing emerging startups and high-growth companies in new businesses and emerging technologies

The Princeton Review chooses the schools based on a wide range of institutional data it evaluates for this project. Schools are asked about the levels of their commitment to entrepreneurship inside and outside the classroom, the percentage of their faculty, students, and alumni actively and successfully involved in entrepreneurial endeavors, the number of their mentorship programs and their funding for scholarships and grants for entrepreneurial studies and projects.

Ross has been recognized by multiple sources as a leader in entrepreneurial business education. In addition to the Entrepreneur and Princeton Review ranking, the school has held a spot in the top ten programs ranked by US News & World Report and PitchBook recently included Ross at the number eight position on its annual list of the top universities for VC-based entrepreneurs. To learn more about Ross and the Zell Lurie Institute, please visit michiganross.umich.edu/.  

About the Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies
The Institute and its Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance, at the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business, bring together a potent mix of knowledge, experience and opportunities from the front lines of entrepreneurship and alternative investments. The student learning experience is further enhanced through internships, entrepreneurial clubs and events that serve to provide viable networks and engage the business community. The School's three student-led investment funds, with over $6.5M under management, immerse students in the business assessment and investment process. Founding Board Members include Samuel Zell, Chairman of Equity Group Investments, and Eugene Applebaum, Founder of Arbor Drugs, Inc. For more information, visit the Institute at www.zli.bus.umich.edu.

About the Stephen M. Ross School of Business
The Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan is a vibrant and distinctive learning community grounded in the principle that business can be an extraordinary vehicle for positive change in today's dynamic global economy. At the Ross School of Business, our mission is to develop leaders who make a positive difference in the world. Through thought and action, members of the Ross community drive change and innovation that improves business and society.

The Ross School is consistently ranked among the world's leading business schools. Academic degree programs include the Full-time MBA, Part-time MBA (Evening and Weekend formats), Executive MBA, Global MBA, Master of Accounting, Master of Supply Chain Management, BBA, and PhD. In addition, the school delivers non-degree, open-enrollment and custom executive education programs targeting general management, leadership development, and strategic human resource management.

SOURCE The Zell Lurie Institute