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Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program Vies for Prestigious International Award

School of Management sees E & I program impress around the globe

Wharton-QS Reimagine Education Awards, the world’s largest awards program for innovative pedagogies, has shortlisted the Clark University School of Management’s (SOM)  Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program (E & I) for its international 2022 Innovation in Business Education Award.

Reimagine Education is a gQS Wharton Logolobal conference and competition, open to universities and educational institutions from around the world. Their awards – considered the ‘Oscars’ of Education – recognize innovative methods and programs that enhance student learning and employability.

According to Wharton-QS, this year’s awards process brought in over 1100 applications across 18 categories, and the organization chose to shortlist the top 18% of these innovations.  The specific Innovation in Business Education Award recognizes outstanding pedagogical innovation created by a business school or consortium of business schools. SOM’s program will now be showcased at the organization’s upcoming conference where the final judging will take place.

“Clark’s entrepreneurial students continue shine,” said Alan Eisner, dean of the School of Management. “I am grateful for the hard-working staff and faculty who have grown the E & I Program. We are excited to see it recognized once again for its excellence.”

Combi truck picture
Clark’s Food Combi serves up food on campus and off

Under the guidance of E&I Program Manager Teresa Quinn, the program continues to grow in popularity and programming. In addition to the array of entrepreneurship courses offered to students, they can now take part in the annual Clark Tank competition – modeled after popular “Shark Tank” television show; the Clark Collective – an assembly of students’ small businesses; the Clark Thrift Store – a thrift store serving Clark and the Worcester community; the Food Combi – a food truck that brings students’ food businesses to campus and the community; the “E & I for You & I” podcast – run by students to bring weekly guest interviews and program happenings to the campus and beyond; and, multiple student-run clubs.

Quinn echoed Dean Eisner’s sentiments. “Our students are amazing. They continue to impact our university and our surrounding community, all while growing in their knowledge of entrepreneurship and business. It’s an honor to be shortlisted for such a prestigious award.”

As a shortlisted applicant, SOM will showcase its E & I Program at the 2022 Hybrid Reimagine Education Conference held online, in Philadelphia, and in Cairo, Egypt. As part of the next round of judging, Quinn will have a few of her entrepreneurship students create a required video “elevator” pitch explaining the program and their work. The video will then be shown in a dedicated virtual booth at the conference, where delegates from around the world will provide feedback and vote on the project. The program description and pitch video be permanently showcased on the Reimagine Education Innovation Directory.

To learn more about the School of Management’s E & I Program events, activities, and student-run initiatives, visit the student website.