06.26.18
The NIIC President & CEO Joins Ball State University Entrepreneurship Center Advisory Board
Tammy Allen, Director, Marketing Communications & Programs – The NIIC
Karl R. LaPan, President & CEO, The NIIC, has joined the Ball State University Entrepreneurship Center Advisory Board. The Center is one of the most recognized entrepreneurship programs in the country.
“I am excited Karl LaPan has agreed to serve on the Entrepreneurship Center Advisory Board. Our program has been a pioneer in entrepreneurship education since 1983, and a strong Board helps us bridge the gap between teaching entrepreneurship and doing entrepreneurship. As we continue to focus on applied entrepreneurial learning at Ball State, leveraging thought leaders like Karl in venture acceleration is a big value add to our program,” said Matt Marvel, The George A. Ball Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship, Director of The Entrepreneurship Center, Associate Professor, Ball State University.
LaPan joins a diverse group of entrepreneurial thought leaders on The Ball State University Center Advisory Board. “The NIIC has long-standing ties with the Ball State Entrepreneurial Program. The focus on applied learning through Ball State’s entrepreneurship program and its connectivity to employers provides enriching and meaningful student experiences. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to lend my expertise, insights and support to ensure the continued success and development of this world-class program,” said LaPan.
About The Ball State University Entrepreneurship Center—The Ball State University Entrepreneurship Center’s undergraduate entrepreneurship program consistently ranks among the best in the country, most recently as 20th in The Princeton Review’s annual list of Top 25 Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Programs. Our entrepreneurship program engages directly with the startup community, focuses on real-world business problems, experiential learning, and getting out of the building. Student experiences include E-Day, The Entrepreneurial Experience Lecture Series, Mentor Day, Learning Journeys, and our Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO).
About The NIIC—The NIIC is a non-profit, vibrant entrepreneurial community. We help business builders and entrepreneurs launch and grow successful business ventures. We are located in a designated U.S. Small Business Administration HUB Zone, and in April 2018, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb designated The Northeast Indiana Innovation Park Campus as an Opportunity Zone through the U.S. Treasury. Formed in 1999 by a consortium of community and government leaders and organizations, The NIIC was recognized by Entrepreneur magazine in 2013 as one of the top four under-the-radar incubators in the country. This basically means Entrepreneur magazine, with the help of International Business Incubation Association, picked four U.S. incubators to highlight, and we were one of them. In their words, we “stand out in a state not always perceived as small business friendly.” The NIIC is the country’s only ISO9001: 2008 registered business incubation and acceleration program. https://niic.net/.
