The University of Rochester
Executive Summary – Kauffman Campuses Proposal
The University of Rochester requests a grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to make entrepreneurship a comprehensive and defining institutional goal. The University will match the Kauffman grant on a more than 2:1 basis with cash, in-kind contributions, and funds raised from individuals, corporations, and foundations.
A world-class research university, Rochester is sufficiently accomplished, small, and cohesive to successfully embed enterprise creation into the missions and educational practices of its diverse schools and colleges and the broad range of fields they represent--from engineering to music to medicine. The University is blessed with a heritage of entrepreneurship, best symbolized perhaps by George Eastman, its greatest benefactor. Our aim is nothing less than to engage our students and faculty at every level of learning so that entrepreneurship can come to define research and education at Rochester.
Building on prior models of success, the University of Rochester will develop for all its undergraduates programs of study in entrepreneurship--both principles and practice--that range from discrete courses to yearlong projects. The programs will include internships, mentoring, and networking opportunities and will encourage students to apply their interest in entrepreneurship to the broader University community and beyond. In the graduate and professional realms we have elaborated a set of field-specific proposals--from institutes to venture capital funds--that will allow entrepreneurship to drive change and growth in culture and the arts, health care, education, and business.
The University will establish the Rochester Center for Entrepreneurship to provide administrative structure for this university-wide initiative and to encourage collaboration among schools. The Center will identify and create new partnerships with alumni, local businesses, and non-profit organizations; publicize school-based experiences and expertise; provide incentives to faculty through grants and bridging fellowships; advance research into best practices in entrepreneurship education; assess our progress at the divisional and university levels; and disseminate results.
During the five-year grant period, this project will have a direct influence on at least 16,000 enrolled undergraduate, graduate and professional students, and on most of the University faculty. It will influence the Rochester community as well as national academic and professional communities, and our efforts will produce enduring changes. Our projects are designed for sustainability by producing income from technology transfer, relying on endowed funds, or becoming part of the University’s budgeted activities. In addition, we are confident that the project will attract philanthropic support from many new sources.
In short, enterprise creation will become integral to the University of Rochester’s schools and programs, and thus entrepreneurship will become a defining trait of a Rochester education.
