School:University of Nevada Reno

Student innovation and entrepreneurship

The Entrepreneurship minor within the University of Nevada's College of Business gives students a comprehensive exposure to the particular methods and challenges of starting a business. Instead of deflecting students to general business courses, the Entrepreneurship minor is composed of its own ENT classes, most of which are taught by professors or entrepreneurs-in-residence with substantial business prowess and experience. The Entrepreneurship minor also emphasizes internship experience through its Entrepreneurship Internship class; however, this class currently has no students enrolled.

The MBA Emphasis on Entrepreneurship is offered as a concentration certificate for the University's MBA program; it incorporates the same main ENT classes as the Entrepreneurship minor, but frequently adds in extra projects for graduate students.

The Nevada Entrepreneurship Club (eClub) is funded by the Associated Students of the University of Nevada and the College of Business. It is a central networking hub between entrepreneurially-minded engineers, business students, faculty mentors, representatives of the various business support groups at Nevada, and the local business and entrepreneurship community.

• Speakers / Lunch Meetings: The eClub meets to listen to guest speakers, usually local operating entrepreneurs, share their advice on starting up and succeeding.
• Pack Pitch: Every semester, the eClub organizes and conducts Pack Pitch, a micro-business-plan competition dedicated to bringing out and vetting innovative business ideas. Participants are judged on a 5-minute pitch; the audience votes down to the final contestants, and a panel of community entrepreneurs and university professors selects the final winner.
• Internships: Local businesses speaking to the eClub are often seek are open to the idea of hiring student interns. No formal program within the eClub exists for this, but opportunities are fairly frequent.

Enactus - University of Nevada Reno, formely SIFE, assists local businesses and community outreach programs, with an emphasis on free enterprise. Enactus is relatively small, but it is very active in its projects and accomplishments, from supporting the development of a Bangladeshi hospital to offering small businesses a reduced advertising rate throuh its Discover Washoe Valley project.

Faculty innovation and entrepreneurship

Innovation and entrepreneurship at the University of Nevada are almost exclusively the domain of the College of Business; little, if any, institutional connection exists between this group and the College of Engineering and the more "innovation"-oriented side of the campus. That said, the College of Business maintains a strong and growing emphasis on nurturing entrepreneurship.

The College has two Endowed Chairs in Entrepreneurship. These are Dr. Mark Pingle, Charles N. Mathewson Professor of Entrepreneurship, and Dr. Dave Croasdell, Charles and Ruth Hopping Professor of Entrepreneurship. Dr. Pingle is also a professor of economics; Dr. Croasdell is the chair of the College's Information Systems Department.

Matt Westfield is an Entrepreneur in Residence for the University. He currently teaches New Venture Creation for the University and acts as Founder and Director of the Entrepreneurs' Assembly. He is also a serial entrepreneur, having founded Startup Growth Strategies, Inc., LSA Inc., LOGOpaperCLIPs, and several other companies.