UNM SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN KAUFFMAN CAMPUSES INITIATIVE TO EXPAND ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION

July 22, 2003

UNM SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN KAUFFMAN CAMPUSES INITIATIVE TO EXPAND ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION
Up to $5 million to be awarded to five to seven institutions

The University of New Mexico is among 15 universities selected by the Marion Ewing Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City, Mo., to participate in the Foundation's Kauffman Campuses Initiative, a new program aimed at making entrepreneurship education common and accessible campus-wide.

UNM Provost Brian Foster and Professor Andres C. Salazar, Anderson Schools of Management and the School of Engineering, led the team in developing the UNM planning grant. Representatives from other UNM schools and colleges will join Foster and Salazar in formulating the final proposal.

UNM received an immediate $50,000 planning grant to develop a comprehensive plan to make entrepreneurship training available to UNM students, faculty and researchers. Regardless of the degree the student seeks, courses from the entrepreneurial program could be taken for credit and the content would help prepare the student for starting a New Mexico business.

The planning grant was made based on an initial letter of interest by UNM President F. Chris Garcia with an outline of the program UNM would set up if the grant were awarded. UNM will present the full proposal at the December meeting. The proposal will be judged on innovative methods used to provide entrepreneurship training to every student and the way that training is applied. Other factors that will be judged in the plan are: the potential of the program to serve as a model for other universities, its sustainability, and the ability of the university to solicit multiple matching funds for the program from its supporters.

"We are very enthusiastic about infusing entrepreneurship into the UNM campus culture. New Mexico's diverse culture offers a special opportunity for creating an entrepreneurial environment," said Foster.

UNM will join the other 14 universities in presenting a plan to the Kauffman Foundation at a Dec. 2003 meeting in Kansas City. Five to seven institutions will be selected to receive challenge grants of up to $5 million each for setting up the program.

"UNM recognizes the potential of cross-discipline entrepreneurship education to open doors and change lives. We welcome the opportunity to play a leadership role in making such learning accessible to our students," said Garcia.

"It is in line with our interest in elevating UNM's involvement in regional economic development. I congratulate the team that put the initial planning grant together," said Garcia.

The Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City is committed to advancing entrepreneurship in America and improving the education of children and youth. The Kauffman Foundation was established in the mid-1960s by the late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman.

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