“Vision is the art
of seeing things invisible.”
— Jonathan Swift —

entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship has swiftly become a signature of the University of North Dakota, earning it national attention and rankings.

Entrepreneur Magazine and The Princeton Review ranked UND ninth among the top 50 entrepreneurship programs in the country in 2007. It was the third consecutive year that UND was ranked nationally, and the second time UND landed in the top 10.

An enterprising spirit has long been a vital part of the character of UND. In fact, aerospace, engineering and mines, and many other programs were started by visionary faculty leaders. They passed this spirit on to their students, many of whom went on to distinguish themselves in their fields and then gave back to the University. For example, a Center for Engineering Leadership and Entrepreneurship has been established by electrical engineering alumnus and businessman Larry Jodsaas.

The entrepreneurship initiative continues that tradition. The College of Business and Public Administration can take much of the credit for the program, along with the Center for Innovation.

Formed in 1984, the nationally recognized Center for Innovation was among the nation’s first entrepreneur outreach centers. It is housed in the Ina Mae Rude Entrepreneur Center, which opened in 2005, joining the Norm Skalicky Tech Incubator and doubling the space and resources available for start-up businesses. The Center for Innovation now features around 130 workstations, along with the tools, advice, and resources to support these new enterprises.

The North Dakota Legislature designated UND’s Center for Innovation as a “Center of Excellence” to

foster private sector job creation, commercial innovation, and expanded research and development within the state’s universities.

Learning Investment
Through Experience

UND has one of very few student-managed venture capital funds in the nation. Students conduct business research, make decisions, and negotiate term structures for their investment deals. They make investments in high-growth ventures started by entrepreneurs in Minnesota and North Dakota. It is a priority to invest in companies started by UND students and alumni; all investments are made with the goal of fostering statewide growth. An “evergreen fund” with money from benefactors and angel investors is the funding source, and all profits are plowed back into the venture fund.

The Dakota Venture Group is one of the few student-managed venture capital funds in the nation.

Skalicky

With its Norman Skalicky Tech Incubator and Ina Mae Rude Entrepreneur Center, UND’s Center for Innovation offers some of the nation’s best facilities for hosting business start-ups. Facilities like these and state-of-the-art financial laboratories give UND entrepreneurship students a significant advantage in understanding all aspects of business creation and management.

2004

February: Adele Kupchella is elected chair of the Council of Presidents’ and Chancellors’ Spouses of NASULGC .... The North Dakota Bureau of Business and Economic Development reports that UND research has a $135.6 million impact, generating 1,439 jobs for 2002-2003 .... UND posts a record spring semester enrollment of 12,355.

March: The School of Medicine and Health Sciences dedicates a new $4 million, high-tech lab for brain research, the Positron Imaging Research Laboratory, funded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy .... Figures show that expenditures for American Indian programs at UND totaled $12.3 million for the last fiscal year.

April: Adele Kupchella hosts the Council of Presidents’ and Chancellors’ Spouses of NASULGC planning committee on campus .... The body of Dru Sjodin is discovered near Crookston, Minn.; a public memorial service is held for her .... Ground is broken for a new $500,000 American Indian Center.

May: Construction begins on Minot Center for Family Medicine .... UND awards its 100,000th degree to Krissondra Leigh Wolf of Hazen, N.D.; she receives a Bachelor of Science with a major in forensic science.

Graduation

2003

June: UND hires its first director of technology transfer and commercialization, part of an effort to increase patents and protect intellectual property .... The University uses flexibility granted by Legislature and the State Board of Higher Education via the Roundtable to improve faculty salaries, cutting the gap between the national average and UND in half.

The University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND 58202

Tel: 701-777-2011 Toll Free: 1-800-CALL-UND

entrepreneurship

Learning Investment Through Experience

The Dakota Venture Group is one of the few student-managed venture capital funds in the nation.

Learning Investment
Through Experience