University of Virginia’s Darden Business Institute Ranked #7 in Entrepreneurship

From the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce September 30 ChamberBits Newsletter;

“Darden Ranks #7 in The Nation for Entrepreneurship

The 2010 Princeton Review Ranking for Entrepreneur Magazine places Darden in the top of the class for graduate studies.  Over $1 Million in entrepreneurship scholarships awarded annually; recently unveiled i.Lab rooted in multi-disciplinary thinking.

Academics complemented by unwavering commitment to experience-based approach for creating successful entrepreneurial ventures.

From over 2,000 schools surveyed by The Princeton Review for Entrepreneur magazine, the Darden School of Business’s entrepreneurship program ranked #7 in the nation in the graduate category of the survey.

“Students at Darden discover that entrepreneurship is learned, not innate, and that being entrepreneurial is about “effectual” and not “causal” thinking,” said Philippe Sommer, Director of Darden’s newly created Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. “That’s a very powerful proposition in today’s business environment. Not only do we invest heavily in academics, with top ranked faculty and game-changing courses emerging from Darden’s Batten Institute, but we also build on this academic foundation with an unrelenting focus on experience-based programs and initiatives that empower our students to create successful businesses. Our hands-on approach has extended to new UVA-wide programs, such as the UVA Entrepreneurship Cup and the UVA Venture Summit, helping to create a vibrant and extensive entrepreneurial ecosystem university-wide.”

“Behind the top ranked schools is not only a great formal classroom experience, but a cross-disciplinary approach to teaching entrepreneurship that embraces and encourages a student’s vision to build a successful business,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s senior vice president of publishing and nationally recognized expert on college admissions.

A number of new or expanded initiatives continue to distinguish Darden’s entrepreneurship program. Earlier this year, Darden celebrated 10 years of success with its Business Incubator and unveiled its new i.Lab, a state-of-the-art learning environment complemented by an experience-based curriculum that inspires a new approach to teaching innovation and entrepreneurship. Other initiatives include a recently launched entrepreneurship concentration and a new alumni mentoring program and network. Darden’s upcoming annual Entrepreneurship Conference will explore the essentials to developing a new business, from idea generation to launch to exits, and, for the first time, will include an informal concept competition for alumni. “