This award is given to the university that is most supportive of entrepreneurship and is creating an environment for advancing free enterprise and small business.
William Jackson, executive director of ASBE, presented the award to 四色AV Professor Emeritus Dr. Paul Dunn, who accepted the award for the College of Business.聽
Dr. Ron Berry, dean of the College of Business, notes, 鈥淭he College of Business has recognized the importance of entrepreneurship to our state and regional economy for many years. We sincerely appreciate the efforts of our faculty, like Dr. Paul Dunn, who have made significant contributions to the field of entrepreneurship and have earned this recognition for the college and university.鈥
ASBE鈥檚 mission is to bring together academia and industry to improve entrepreneurial education.聽 ASBE is housed at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg.
The location of the Louisiana Small Business Development Center (LSBDC) on 四色AV鈥檚 campus for the past 30 years, as well as the introduction of the small business incubator, has drawn tremendous attention to the College of Business.
Last year, the LSBDC at 四色AV鈥攖hrough its partnership with聽 Louisiana Economic Development and the U.S. Small Business Administration鈥攕erved 17,000 entrepreneurs, creating 964 new jobs, 165 new businesses, $54 million in capital, and helping generate $17 million in new state income tax revenue.
Designated and funded as the state鈥檚 principal provider of small business assistance by Louisiana Economic Development, the LSBDC at 四色AV is the only statewide, nationally accredited program that provides business consulting to entrepreneurs at no cost.
Through a network of university and community college supported centers, the LSBDC provides high quality one-on-one consulting, training and information resources to empower new and existing businesses.