U News | U of Arkansas launches Excellence Fund with $500,000 gift
Florida State University’s Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship will host its 14th annual conference June 11-13 in St. Petersburg, FL.
From the University of Arkansas:
The Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (OEI) has launched the Excellence Fund to raise significant funding to enhance OEI programming and better serve students while cultivating a vibrant entrepreneurial culture across campus.
The Excellence Fund, which was kickstarted by a generous $500,000 seed donation from alum Clete Brewer and his family, will give the office the flexibility to pursue new opportunities, test innovative programming ideas, and quickly adapt to drive student and program success. Brewer, who graduated in 1987, co-founded Brewer Personnel with his parents, Jerry and Kay Brewer. The company later evolved into StaffMark.
In 2017, Clete and his wife, Tammy, together with his parents, donated $600,000 to establish what would become the Brewer Family Entrepreneurship Hub. Today, the Hub serves as home to OEI’s administrative offices and hosts most of its programming, including the Side Hustle initiative, various workshops, and free co-working space.
From Transylvania University:
Transylvania University marked a significant milestone with the recent dedication of the newly renovated Sanders-Siebers Entrepreneurship Hub. The celebration coincides with the announcement of Kaelyn Query Caldwell assuming the full-time role of Director for the Center for Entrepreneurship. An award-winning Lexington,KY-based entrepreneur, Query Caldwell brings a wealth of experience and a strong track record of success to the role, poised to lead the center into a new era of innovation.
The Sanders-Siebers Entrepreneurship Hub, located within the Warren W. Rosenthal Complex, will support student entrepreneurial activities, meetings, and programs. The hub’s creation was made possible by a major gift from the family of Kim Siebers Cornetet to honor a legacy of Transylvania graduates.
“Transylvania University is committed to fostering a dynamic environment where students can cultivate their entrepreneurial spirit alongside a rigorous liberal arts education,” said President Brien Lewis. “The dedication of the Sanders-Siebers Entrepreneurship Hub and the appointment of Kaelyn Query Caldwell as a full-time director mark significant progress toward achieving our vision of becoming Kentucky’s premier institution for developing future business leaders and innovators.”
From Florida State University:
Florida State University’s Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship (JMI) will host its 14th annual conference June 11-13 at the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art in St. Petersburg, FL.
The JMI Conference is tailored to small business owners, offering a valuable platform for learning, networking, and idea sharing. It includes main sessions dedicated to enhancing each attendee’s entrepreneurial skills, as well as breakout workshops for smaller groups with specific interests.
Three successful entrepreneurs highlight the keynote speaker lineup. They are former NBA player Charlie Ward, Guy Harvey Foundation Chief Executive Officer Jessica Harvey, and small business expert and author Ramon Ray.
From the University of Colorado (CU) Boulder:
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) has spun out a new version of its nationally recognized New Venture Challenge. Known as the High School New Venture Challenge, it is a multi-round competition designed to ignite the entrepreneurial spirit in students across Colorado. Launched just last year as a pilot, the program was intended to demonstrate what could happen when creativity, resilience, and problem-solving were placed in the hands of young people. The response was incredible, so this year CU Boulder scaled up.
The results were nothing short of inspiring. In 2025, HSNVC welcomed more than 70 teams representing nearly a dozen high schools statewide. After a round of virtual judging, the top 24 teams advanced to the in-person HSNVC Final Competition at CU Boulder last month. Students toured campus, pitched their ventures to judges and a live audience, and left an unforgettable impression on everyone in the room.
Six finalist teams were awarded a total of $25,000 in CU Boulder tuition scholarships, including a $10,000 grand prize awarded to Monster Be Gone, a non-toxic, fragrant spray to help children vanquish imaginary monsters, created by Rebekah Goldman and Evelyn “Evie” Hughes-Ulmer from Arapahoe High School and the EPIC Campus. The remaining five teams each received $5,000 in CU Boulder tuition scholarships, recognizing their bold thinking, dedication, and entrepreneurial spark.
From the New York Institute of Technology:
In a bold step to strengthen its leadership in entrepreneurship education, New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) has announced the launch of its Innovation and Entrepreneurship Academy, together with the creation of a $5 million NYIT Venture Fund, to invest in start-ups—from students, faculty, alumni, and other qualified entrepreneurs.
Designed to empower the next generation of student entrepreneurs across the university’s New York City and Long Island campuses, the academy will offer hands-on resources, expert mentorship, and the infrastructure needed to launch startups, develop innovative technologies, and bring new products to market.
“We believe in the power of innovation and the entrepreneurial drive of our students,” says President Henry C. Foley. “Now, we’re taking that belief even further with the launch of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Academy—a transformative initiative that is part of our vision of inclusive excellence and gives students the tools and support to turn bold ideas into real-world impact.”
In addition to the venture fund, a key feature of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Academy is Start-up Tech Central, a new center on the Long Island campus complete with maker spaces, mentorship programs, and start-up training. Existing student resources and labs, including the College of Engineering and Computing Sciences’ Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Center (ETIC) and incubator space, will complement the academy’s offerings, as will the School of Architecture and Design’s fabrication labs.
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