University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies Named One of Top Two Graduate Programs in Entrepreneurship by the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine

University of Michigan now ranked in the top five for third consecutive year

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Sept. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business was named one of the top graduate entrepreneurship programs in the nation. The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine recognized the institute in a joint ranking of its top 25 graduate entrepreneurship programs. This marks the third consecutive year the institute has appeared among the top five.

"We are pleased to continually appear in the upper echelon of graduate entrepreneurship program rankings," said Thomas Kinnear, executive director of the institute. "Our innovative approach and ability to support our students with the needed resources to test business ideas, make investments, and place them in the field around the globe sets us apart from our peers. The main beneficiaries of our success, of course, are the University students and graduates who will deploy their entrepreneurship skills, knowledge and experience to launch new companies, drive venture-capital investment, and forge innovative career pathways at major corporations." Kinnear is Eugene Applebaum Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies and professor of marketing at the Ross School.

"Entrepreneurship is fundamental to the economy as a growth engine," says Zell. "In today's environment, the institute's mission – to educate and launch entrepreneurs -- is critical. We are catalyzing a new generation, and the evidence of its success is visible."

The University of Michigan has been a driving force in the advancement of entrepreneurial education since 1927, when it offered the nation's first course in entrepreneurship at what is now the Ross School of Business. In 1999, the University was among the first to launch a full program dedicated to entrepreneurial education with the creation of the Zell Lurie Institute, through a $10 million gift from businessman and U-M alum Sam Zell and distinguished philanthropist Ann Lurie, the wife of Zell's late business partner, Robert Lurie.

The institute's robust program portfolio, and the entrepreneurial field projects offered as part of the curriculum for full- and part-time MBA students, have set the bar for entrepreneurial education across the U.S. and complement the University's flourishing entrepreneurial community. The institute's flagship Wolverine Venture Fund was the first student-led venture fund of its kind in the country, and Ross students can also experience venture capital firsthand through the Frankel Commercialization Fund and the Social Venture Fund. Together these 'evergreen,' student-run funds have $6.5 million under management, have experienced four successful exits, and deliver returns that are comparable to the top-quartile of professionally managed funds. Since its inception, the institute has provided scholarships, grants, competition awards and internship funding totaling more than $3 million to help advance new venture development and the entrepreneurial skill set of more than 3,000 students.

Through the Zell Lurie Institute, the Ross School leverages resources across the University's campus to support the hands-on study of entrepreneurship. The partnership with the Center for Entrepreneurship at the College of Engineering (COE) launched TechArb, a student accelerator that is jointly managed. This fall, the Ross School and the COE welcomed the inaugural class of the one-year Master of Entrepreneurship Program. In addition, the Zell Entrepreneurship & Law Program and Medical Innovation Center host programs in which graduate students participate.  

During the 2012-13 academic year, the institute will continue to nurture students' entrepreneurial endeavors with a commitment of more than $1.8 million toward the development of investment and grant programming.

More than 2,000 schools were surveyed by the Princeton Review. The complete rankings will appear in the October issue of Entrepreneur, both in print and online.

About the Ross School of Business

The Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan 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, Master of Entrepreneurship, 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. 

The Michigan Ross curriculum is defined across the board by action-based learning, a distinctive strategy that connects the academic environment to the practical world of business. In addition to top-ranked academic departments in the core business disciplines, the school houses research institutes and centers that provide thought leadership and learning opportunities around entrepreneurship, sustainability, operations, and emerging economies. 

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 $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.

SOURCE The Zell Lurie Institute