Rollins MBA Ranked #24 in Nation for Entrepreneurship by Major Publications

The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine Recognize the School’s Efforts in Entrepreneurship

September 10, 2008

Orlando, Fla. – From more than 2,300 schools surveyed by Entrepreneur magazine and The Princeton Review, the Rollins MBA was distinguished as having one of the top 50 entrepreneurship programs. The Rollins MBA ranked #24 in the graduate category of the survey.

The Rollins MBA was evaluated based on key criteria in the areas of academics and requirements, students and faculty and outside-the-classroom experiences. Rollins MBA students learn from an outstanding faculty who bring years of academic and real-business-world experience to the classroom. Students receive practical, hands-on business experiences, such as those received through the school’s Center for Entrepreneurship, which directs a number of partnership efforts between the school and regional entrepreneurs.

“The academic performance of our students is exceeded only by their performances in the real business world—where it really counts,” said Craig McAllaster, dean of the Crummer Graduate School of Business. “Rollins MBA students learn to apply business thinking skills that translate in action and result in business success. This ranking proves that Rollins MBA alumni are among the nation’s most capable entrepreneurs—and we are honored to place so highly in The Princeton Review/Entrepreneur ranking system.”

The Center for Entrepreneurship at the Crummer Graduate School, one of the first such centers in the country, is among the many reasons for Rollins MBA’s status in the rankings. The Center offers students many real-world activities in which to engage so that they can better understand starting a business and seeing it through to profitability.

For example, through the Entrepreneurship Center, students have worked closely with a team of leading regional entrepreneurs (dubbed the “E-Team”) to establish a plan for regional entrepreneurial growth in the seven-county Central Florida region. Extensive student research efforts helped shape the plan, established by the E-Team and the Central Florida Partnership, to create The Best Regional Entrepreneurship System in the Americas. Thanks in part to the students’ efforts, the regional system is now on the fast track to success, with participating organizations and individuals agreeing on interim goals that will be guided by the conclusions of the student-led research.

“Through our Center, students learn the nitty-gritty of what it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur,” said Tom Kruczek, the executive director of the Entrepreneurship Center and a leader of the E-Team. “Rollins MBA students are as consistently hungry as any of the business leaders I’ve met in my years in business, and I’m pleased this ranking validates the great work we do through our Center and the fantastic students I have the privilege of teaching—and learning from—on a day-to-day basis.”

About the Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business
The Rollins MBA at the Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business, located in Winter Park, Florida, is consistently ranked a top MBA program by Forbes Magazine and BusinessWeek. It is among a select group of elite business schools in the nation that have been accredited at the graduate level and is distinguished by its faculty and the academic and business successes of its graduates.

Rollins College
Founded in 1885, Rollins College is Florida's oldest recognized college, and is consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of "America's best colleges." The College of Arts & Sciences offers full-time undergraduate programs in the liberal arts. The Hamilton Holt School serves the Central Florida community by offering exceptional undergraduate and graduate degree programs during evenings and weekends to students diverse in age, experience and professional development. The Crummer Graduate School of Business is consistently ranked by Forbes magazine among the best business schools for return on investment, and Forbes recently ranked the MBA program No. 1 overall in Florida. For more information about Rollins, visit our Web site at www.rollins.edu.