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The Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers selected Stephen F. Austin State University’s Arnold Center for Entrepreneurship as the winner of the Exceptional Activities in Entrepreneurship Across Disciplines Award at the GCEC conference in October. Pictured, from left, are Matt Smilor, ACE director, and Dr. Hollie Gammel Smith, ACE executive director of community partnerships, accepting the award.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s Arnold Center for Entrepreneurship received the Exceptional Activities in Entrepreneurship Across Disciplines Award from the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers at GCEC’s annual conference hosted by the University of Calgary in October.

This award recognizes ACE as one of the top university entrepreneurship programs in the world for fostering innovation and collaboration across all fields of study. ACE is dedicated to creating, advancing and enabling entrepreneurship education opportunities for multiple audiences and units across campus. Criteria for the GCEC honor included creativity of multidisciplinary approach, measured impact across campus, and diversity of partners and stakeholders.

“Winning this award for entrepreneurship across disciplines is an incredible honor, and we’re very fortunate and grateful to be recognized by the GCEC for our efforts,” said Matt Smilor, ACE director. “It’s a true testament to the hard work of our SFA faculty and all six colleges across campus who have worked tirelessly to ensure entrepreneurial thinking, methodologies and mindsets are available to all our students.”

From its headquarters at the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, GCEC facilitates collaboration among global entrepreneurship center leaders with the goal of advancing, strengthening and celebrating the role universities fulfill in educating future entrepreneurs. More than 500 leaders from universities and colleges around the world participated in over 100 breakout sessions at GCEC’s annual conference, during which educators shared their expertise and showcased their programs.

ACE, which recently received $40 million for its new facility from The University of Texas System, was established in 2023 to support innovation, collaboration and entrepreneurial growth across campus and East Texas. SFA’s entrepreneurship academic program launched in fall 2020.

For more information on SFA’s Arnold Center for Entrepreneurship, visit sfasu.edu/ace.

ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY

Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 40 academic facilities, 11 residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering over 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.

By University Marketing Communications