Murphy Enterprise Center 

In 1999, two successful local entrepreneurs, Ken and Shirley Murphy, recognized the opportunity to help other entrepreneurs alleviate some of the problems they had to endure in owning and operating their own business.

They saw UNT, their alma mater, as the perfect place to provide students with the foundation for entrepreneurial education. With this in mind, the vision of the Murphy Enterprise Center is to be the premier incubator of entrepreneurial activities for students, faculty and business in Texas.

The center has a three-pronged approach. The first is to put students first, providing an entrepreneurship education, internships, scholarships, business plans and interaction with faculty and business mentors. The second is accountability to educators, including provisions for academic leadership, research opportunities and innovative educational programs. The third prong is service to the center's business partners by providing business-world experiences, cost-effective consulting and networking opportunities and by serving as a conduit for cooperative efforts among businesses, the university and the community.

Programs range from the annual Shirley Murphy Entrepreneur Contest, a $50,000 spring business competition, to the Murphy Leadership Forum each fall.

BY LEW TAYLOR, Director lewtaylor@unt.edu.unt.edu

Other web resources:

• Murphy Enterprise Center

Other featured articles in this issue:

• Former UNT regent named to Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
• TAMS student, team place fourth in national competition
• UNT student, basketball star is semifinalist for Rhodes Scholarship
• Leadership Texas preps three UNT faculty for prime roles
• System Center director addresses Faculty Senate
• Special awards recognize longtime faculty members
• UNT holiday drives quadruple last yearÕs donations
• UNT offices on the move
• Hurley reappointed to citizens council board
• Severe winter weather may bring closures
• Battling the post-holiday bulge

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