University of Michigan Lauded as #3 Graduate Program for Entrepreneurship by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine

Zell Lurie Institute Spearheads Entrepreneurial Initiatives at Ross School of Business and Across the University

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Sept. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Underscoring its reputation as a national leader in entrepreneurship education, The University of Michigan's Ross School of Business today announced that it was ranked the #3 graduate program for entrepreneurship in the annual "Top 25 Graduate Entrepreneurship Programs" listing from The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine. Ross placed in the top ten in large part due to the innovative programs and courses offered by the Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies.

Ross' traditional management excellence, combined with the Institute's innovative real-world approach, exposes students to rigorous coursework and robust programs and events. Collectively, these initiatives set the standard for entrepreneurial skill development and have helped launch the careers of thousands of business executives.

Founded in 1999, The Zell Lurie Institute is a catalyst and participant in groundbreaking entrepreneurial and venture capital initiatives at Ross, across the University, throughout the state and around the globe. It has awarded more than $1.5 million for student start ups and the cultivation of business ideas through its Dare to Dream grants program and Michigan Business Challenge business plan competition; provides students with "in the trenches" entrepreneurial experience through its Marcel Gani Internship Program; and most recently, partnered with the College of Engineering's Center for Entrepreneurship and the U-M Office of the Vice President for Research to establish and fund TechArb, a business accelerator that offers student entrepreneurs a place to launch and grow their own companies.

As part of its mission to provide unprecedented hands-on learning experiences for graduate students, the Institute offers a comprehensive and diverse family of student-led venture funds. This includes the pre-seed Frankel Commercialization Fund and $5.5 million early-stage Wolverine Venture Fund, the first of its kind that has realized four successful exits including the only IPO of Intralase in 2004. In a groundbreaking move earlier this week, the Institute also announced the addition of the Social Venture Fund, which will invest in for-profit social enterprises. The addition of the Social Venture Fund supports the educational mission of the Ross School of Business in the areas of socially- and environmentally-driven venture investing and entrepreneurship.

"As the Institute continues to expand its substantial footprint on the entrepreneurial ecosystem within the Ross School of Business and beyond, students will benefit from even greater multidisciplinary collaboration across campus and increased engagement with the outside entrepreneurial community," said Tom Kinnear, Executive Director, Samuel Zell and Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies  "The University's reputation as a national leader in entrepreneurship education has been firmly established during the past decade and is once again recognized with this ranking.  We look forward to continuing our efforts to set the standard for tomorrow's entrepreneurial leaders by offering new, robust programming and courses."

Over 2,000 schools were surveyed by The Princeton Review and evaluated based on key criteria in the areas of teaching entrepreneurship business fundamentals in the classroom, staffing departments with successful entrepreneurs, graduating students who actually create new ventures, excellence in mentorship, providing experiential or entrepreneurial opportunities outside of the classroom, as well as non-traditional, distinguishable aspects of their programs.  The complete rankings appear in the October issue of Entrepreneur.

About the Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies

The Institute and its Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance 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 $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.

SOURCE The Zell Lurie Institute