There are certain times in the history of great American universities when an opportunity to revolutionize higher education and demonstrate leadership on an international level comes along.

That time has arisen again at the University of Illinois with the establishment of the Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership, initiated by a $4.5 million grant from the Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City to initiate cross-campus entrepreneurship education. We have also received matching funds from matching funds from the College of Business and other academic units, The University of Illinois, and private donors.

In its original French, entrepreneur means someone who undertakes an important task or project. At the Academy, we view entrepreneurship through a large lens, believing that creating value in communities, academic or otherwise, is not solely a matter of business practice and economics. We will encourage social and artistic ventures that create value in our shared academic and larger communities. We will encourage non-profit initiatives, which create long term community value, as well as those that are economically promising. We recognize that "value" is not just a financial term, but a social, intellectual, cultural and artistic term. We will offer financial, teaching, and research resources to the entire campus.

We believe many of the next generation of entrepreneurs will be taught at the University of Illinois. The Academy seeks to encourage and support students and faculty from all academic departments and units to undertake an important task--include entrepreneurship in their research and teaching.

Academy events highlight entrepreneurial skills, leadership and opportunities of interest to those in academia and beyond, while emphasizing the interdisciplinary nature of modern entrepreneurial thinking. We encourage all members of the Urbana campus community to take a closer look at the opportunities presented by the Academy.

Tony Mendes
Executive Director