Kelley entrepreneurship program ranked No. 1 in nation

The Kelley School of Business has a history of receiving top ratings from US News and World Report's annual ranking of America's best colleges. This year, they ranked Kelley's entrepreneurship program No. 1 in the nation among public schools. \n"It's exciting, and at the same time it really makes us feel like we have to deliver, so it's a good kind of pressure to have," said Johannes Denekamp, a faculty lecturer and faculty fellow at the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. \nKuratko, along with others who work in the entrepreneurship program, he believes the No. 1 ranking is a reflection of the people involved. \n"When you begin to look at how rankings work and how people look at a school, for a program like ours to accomplish No. 1, it really has to have great students, a great faculty and a great dean that's leading it," he said. \nDaniel Smith, dean of the Kelley School, agrees. \n"Our entrepreneurship program draws a highly energetic, can-do group of students with big dreams and who want to change the world for the better," he said. "Our faculty is deeply committed to the mission that entrepreneurship can indeed transform lives and society." \nEven before the ranking was revealed, Smith realized the quality of the program. \n"We have long known that our entrepreneurship program was among the best in the nation," he said. "It is always nice when you see it confirmed by others." \nRecent graduates including Jordan Metzner, co-founder of the California Burrito Company in Buenos Aires, and David Hosei, co-founder of 3GUpload in Indianapolis, are proof of the impact the entrepreneurship program can have. \n"There's an incredible determination among our students that I don't see around the country as much as I do here," Kuratko said. \nIn a field as risky as entrepreneurship, determination is essential. \n"It's really hard," Denekamp said. "It wouldn't be unusual for the average work week to be over 100 hours for next to no money. You've got to do it because you love it. The payoff comes down the line." \nTo maintain the program's ranking, the JCEI is establishing entrepreneurship offices across campus to open the field to other majors and to create a model for other entrepreneurship programs. \n"The more we build this national model and schools look to us for advice on how to do it with their students, I think you can see that the schools would vote us No. 1," Kuratko said. "They'll say, 'If we came to IU to learn from the best, they are the best."