The Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI) is a new initiative at SMU to focus and expand the work on entrepreneurship and innovation at St. Mary’s University (SMU). The center was established in 2008 to contribute both to the advancement of knowledge and the practice of entrepreneurship. The Center is established to help place SMU among a small handful of higher education institutions known for research excellence and research-based education in entrepreneurship and innovation.

The SMU Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation seeks to prepare its future entrepreneurs and core constituents to succeed in a dynamic and changing business environment through excellence in teaching, research, and service. This is achieved through facilitating the teaching and learning of fundamental knowledge and skills required for innovation, creativity, strategic thinking, and decision-making; conducting innovative research on the theory and practice of identifying and capitalizing on emerging business opportunities, both individually and within corporate settings; and promoting a dynamic community interaction built on teamwork, excellence, integrity, and a quest for life-long learning.

Center’s Mission

The Mission of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is “to discover and develop the talents of individuals in order to enhance business and community through the creation and development of academic, research, outreach and support initiatives that encourage the spirit of entrepreneurship and support entrepreneurs of all ages.

The vision of CEI is “to enhance, educate and empower entrepreneurs” throughout the country. The goal is to provide a center that will give community members a place to go when they have questions regarding education or launching a business venture all set in an environment that promotes the entrepreneurial spirit.

Goals

The overarching goal of the center is to be, and to be recognized as, one of the premier resource center in the field of entrepreneurship and innovation. We believe we can accomplish this goal by leveraging three essential ingredients:

      • SMU’s position ( both geographic and intellectual )
      • Strong student interest
      • Critical mass of faculty

The guiding vision of the center, and one which distinguishes it from other entrepreneurship initiatives, consists of two core ideas: a strong, interdisciplinary entrepreneurship curriculum, and a multifaceted integration of research, teaching and community outreach program. This vision is articulated in a set of more concrete objectives that will inform the center’s activities in the areas of research, teaching and outreach.