Entrepreneur Scholars Program

Jon Down, Ph.D., director of entrepreneurship

The Entrepreneur Scholars Program is a comprehensive entrepreneurial development program incorporating classroom activity and extensive applied experience, cultivating the entrepreneurial mindset and skillset to “make ideas happen.” The mission of this program is to enable high potential students to transform ideas, create value, solve problems, develop new products and services, and impact the world though their lives and careers. Participation is by application, is open to students from all disciplines, and is limited to 25 students per year. Students generally apply in the sophomore or junior year for participation in the next academic year. As a 9-credit hour program, students complete three required 3-credit hour courses: ENT 480 Creating a World-Class Venture, ENT 481 Entrepreneur Apprenticeship, and ENT 482 Global Entrepreneurship. With two additional 3-credit courses, students can achieve the minor in entrepreneurship. Each Entrepreneur Scholar pays $4,000, which covers most of the costs of this unique combination of classroom work, interaction with world class entrepreneurs and enterprises, and domestic and international travel. Need-based and non-need-based scholarships are available and made possible through the generosity of individual and corporate donors. Past experiences have taken place in a wide variety of international destinations such as Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, China, France, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, Japan, South Africa, the United Arabs Emirates, Vietnam, and Ukraine, as well as locally and in U.S. business centers. Entrepreneur Scholars is the only program globally to have twice received the United States Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) Specialty Model Program Award.

For more information about the program, visit the Entrepreneur Scholars website or contact Jon Down, director of entrepreneurship, University of Portland, 5000 N. Willamette Blvd., Portland, Oregon 97203-5798. Telephone (503) 943-7781, down@up.edu.