Entrepreneur ranks Murphy Enterprise Center in top tier of regional programs

UNT's Murphy Enterprise Center was named as a first-tier regional entrepreneurship program by Entrepreneur magazine in its May issue.

The magazine selected its top 50 regional and top 50 national entrepreneurial colleges and universities for 2004, and then divided them into four tiers. UNT was included in the regional rankings.

TechKnowledge Point Corp. of Santa Barbara, Calif., researched more than 825 entrepreneurship programs for the magazine's study.

Rankings are based on more than 70 criteria, including course offerings, faculty, business-community outreach, research centers and institutes, degrees and certificates, and faculty and alumni evaluations.

"The recognition is the first of its kind for the Murphy center," says Eileen Curry Resnik, center director.

The center provides students and entrepreneurs with the opportunity to exchange ideas, build skills and engage in entrepreneurial activities.

"To do so, the Murphy Enterprise Center helps students and business owners solve problems encountered in the start-up phase of business through counseling and mentoring, provides training opportunities for both students and business owners, and helps students take new discoveries and business ideas and turn them into a viable business entity," says Resnik."While entrepreneurship is the focus of the center, the core of the center's operation is serving students from across the university, not just those who major in entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship internships have been one of the most popular programs offered with both students and entrepreneurs."

The center was funded in 1999 with a $1 million donation from UNT alumni Ken and Shirley Murphy, two successful entrepreneurs.

"We are delighted with the national recognition after only our fourth year in existence," says Resnik. "We are successful because we have an outstanding advisory council of entrepreneurs and business leaders and a tremendous faculty in the Department of Management who realize the importance of entrepreneurship in curriculum."

TechKnowledge Point Corp. conducted the Entrepreneur study from September to December 2003.

BY RODDY WOLPER rwolper@unt.edu

Other web resources

• Top 100 Entrepreneurial Colleges

Other featured articles in this issue

• Two UNT graduate programs ranked high by U.S. News and World Report
• College of Business Administration dean to step down; interim dean chosen
• Texas attorney general speaks at UNT
• Karen Hughes, Kinky Friedman headline first UNT System Book and Author Luncheon
• New general counsel addresses Faculty Senate
• U.S. National Security Agency names UNT College of Engineering center among nation's elite computer security programs
• UNT Moot Court squad finishes 2003-04 year ranked first in the state

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