Entrepreneurship Innovation Center Receives Top Award

First HBCU to Receive Distinguished Honor

Bowie State University's Entrepreneurship Innovation Center has received the 2024 Highly Commended Outstanding Award in the Emerging Entrepreneurship Centers category from the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers, recognizing the EIC for demonstrating excellence, innovation and impactful contributions. BSU is the first HBCU to be recognized in the category for schools with fewer than 7,500 students.

The award celebrates entrepreneurship centers making an impressive impact within five years and highlights the centers' ambitious goals, dedicated teams, sustainable operating plans and strong relationships with stakeholders. It also showcases those centers with early signs of success and potential for long-term growth.

"The 2024 Global Consortium Entrepreneurship Centers Highly Commended Outstanding Award is a tremendous honor for the Entrepreneurship Innovation Center at Bowie State University affirming our commitment to fostering innovation, economic mobility, and entrepreneurial excellence," said Johnetta Hardy, executive director of the Entrepreneurship Innovation Center. "This recognition highlights BSU's incredible strides in empowering traditionally underrepresented communities and advancing the legacy of HBCUs as hubs for creativity and transformation."

The Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers is headquartered at the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship in Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business.