University recognized for excellence in entrepreneurship
From left, event organizer Steven Tello; emcee Deborah Hoover; Ryerson University's Richard Lachman; TRSM Prof. Kenneth Grant; DMZ's Abdullah Snobar; and tech entrepreneur Gururaj 鈥淒esh鈥� Deshpande. Photo credit: Tory Germann for UMass Lowell.
By Will Sloan, Ryerson Today
Ryerson prides itself in having entrepreneurship in its DNA. That holistic approach was celebrated on June 13, when Ryerson received the Entrepreneurial University Award at the .
The award recognizes institutions that integrate entrepreneurial education into their strategic plan, in the curriculum and through student engagement more broadly. It was presented as part of the 鈥攁n annual conference of academics, policy planners, and practitioners held June 12-14 at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Cornell University and Northeastern University were the other two finalists. Through their Deshpande Foundation, Gururaj (Desh) and Jaishree Deshpande have encouraged use of innovation and entrepreneurship as catalysts for social change in Canada, the U.S. and India since 1996.
鈥淩yerson has had a coherent set of programs across the university: the Ted Rogers School of Management, the DMZ, Zone Learning, and the student groups,鈥� said Richard Lachman, director of Zone Learning. 鈥淭he award is looking at how all of these initiatives across the university are working together to encourage entrepreneurship, and Ryerson is a great example of all these different kinds of groups coming together.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 broadly embraced across the campus,鈥� said Kenneth Grant, chair of the Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy at TRSM. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 treat entrepreneurship and innovation as something that somebody owns. It鈥檚 open and inclusive: you don鈥檛 have to be a university student or faculty member to be in one of our zones, for example.
鈥淲e have opportunities like the Sandbox that allow anyone鈥攈igh school students, whatever鈥攖o register and explore entrepreneurship,鈥� Grant continued. 鈥淲e also have leading innovators like the DMZ, and Canada鈥檚 largest and most significant entrepreneurship academic program. This award recognizes that we are amongst the leaders.鈥�
Ryerson offers 75+ entrepreneurship courses to almost 6,000 students each year. In addition, Ryerson houses 10 on-campus incubators hosting more than 320 startups; external,Startup School, a bridge between structured teaching and practical entrepreneurship; two dedicated entrepreneurship research units, the Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneurship Research Institute; and a range of awards and grand competitions, including the Norman Esch Engineering Innovation & Entrepreneurship Awards.
What is Ryerson鈥檚 entrepreneurial philosophy? 鈥淚t鈥檚 about community engagement鈥攅ngaging in real-world problems,鈥� said Lachman. 鈥淲e also talk about a 鈥榖ias to action鈥欌�攂eing able to have deep, empathetic understanding of people and problems, and working with groups to create solutions that we can roll out into the real world.鈥�