Entrepreneur magazine has recognized the Neeley School of Business at TCU as a top 25 undergraduate entrepreneurship program out of more than 2,000 schools surveyed by The Princeton Review. (www.PrincetonReview.com) The Neeley School ranked No. 21 in the undergraduate category. It was also just announced that Neeley's MBA program is ranked among the top 100 business schools in the world for integrating social, environmental and ethical issues into its MBA program, according to the Aspen Institute’s 2011-2012 edition of Beyond Grey Pinstripes, a biennial survey and alternative ranking of business schools. The Neeley School is ranked No. 46.
 
Entrepreneur evaluated The Neeley School based on teaching entrepreneurship business fundamentals in the classroom, staffing departments with successful entrepreneurs, excellence in mentorship, opportunities outside of the classroom, and non-traditional, distinguishable aspects of the program. Entrepreneurship is the core undergraduate program within the Department of Management, Entrepreneurship and Leadership in the Neeley School.
 
“Entrepreneurship is a cross-campus phenomenon at TCU, so we share this award with the students, faculty, staff and administrators who make TCU such an entrepreneurial environment,” said Brad Hancock, director of the Neeley Entrepreneurship Center.
 
There are 150 declared entrepreneurship majors at TCU, and the TCU student chapter of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization, TCU CEO, boasts the largest membership in the country with more than 300 members. While the core entrepreneurship program is based in the Neeley School of Business, entrepreneurship courses are integrated into schools and departments throughout TCU via the TCU/Coleman Faculty Fellows in Entrepreneurship, supported by the Neeley Entrepreneurship Center.
 
The top-25 ranking is one of several accolades for the Neeley entrepreneurship program, which was named the 2011 National Model Entrepreneurship Program by the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and recently ranked No. 19 in the nation by Bloomberg Businessweek. The Neeley Entrepreneurship Center will host the 2011 National Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization Conference in Fort Worth, Oct. 27-29, 2011.
 
While many MBA rankings exist, Beyond Grey Pinstripes measures how well schools are preparing their students for the environmental, social and ethical complexities of modern-day business. This year, 149 business schools from 22 countries participated in a year-long effort to map the landscape of teaching and research on issues pertaining to business and society.
 
“We intentionally design and implement a graduate learning experience that unleashes human potential and allows our MBA students to recognize and pursue opportunity, have confidence in their dreams, and create value in whatever career path they choose to follow,” said Bill Cron, associate dean of graduate programs at the Neeley School.
 
“In all scoring categories used to determine the ranking, business schools have raised the bar,” said Judith Samuelson, executive director of the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program, which conducted Beyond Grey Pinstripes. “There are more courses with content on social, ethical, and environmental issues, more courses about the role of business as a positive agent for change, more exposure of students to this content, and more research published by faculty on relevant topics.” According to Samuelson, this year’s survey marked the first opportunity since the global economic downturn to comprehensively measure the extent to which MBA programs have altered the content of their courses, and whether faculty are pursuing research that questioned assumptions about the role of business in society.
 
“What does it mean to be a values-centered business school?” O. Homer Erekson, John V. Roach Dean of the Neeley School mused. “It is fundamentally about challenging our students to explore their value base, providing opportunities for them to think about the meaning of having a significant life, and encouraging them to look at ways their actions impact the lives of others.”
 
The Neeley School provides unique opportunities for TCU MBA students to think outside boundaries, shift resources, discover trends, eliminate obstacles, and flourish where others may not.  The Values and Ventures Program supports students who develop business plans that integrate personal ethics and corporate values. Study Abroad courses give our students first-hand insight into how the business world is intricately linked. Neeley and Associates Consulting projects give students real experience in transforming businesses. The Educational Investment Fund is a $1.2 million endowment that has allowed students to learn social responsibility alongside money management. Neeley’s Graduate Career Service Center works year-round to enhance student marketability. Students expand their professional toolkit by working with leadership coaches, networking with CEOs and polishing presentation skills through the Neeley Professional Development Center.