Dr. Dianne H.B. Welsh, the Hayes Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship at UNCG, has received the Best Practices National Award for Creative Cross-Disciplinary Entrepreneurship from the Small Business Institute.

The award recognizes Welsh’s work in developing the entrepreneurship major and minor in the Bryan School of Business and Economics for students and non-business students, and the graduate certificate in entrepreneurship. Under her leadership, there are 38 permanent courses in 20 departments, taught by professors who have blended entrepreneurship with their disciplines.

Welsh works individually with the professors in developing the learning objectives that are carried out through assignments — a blended approach to learning. The courses are in seven areas based on her research of where careers are headed in the next 20 years in the New Economy: creative industries, family business, franchising, healthcare entrepreneurship, international entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, and science, technology and innovation entrepreneurship.

“This is learning without walls,” Welsh said. “We blend curriculum to mirror the real world and include service learning so that there is real world internships and other experiential learning.”

Welsh is also the founder and executive director of the N.C. Entrepreneurship Center at UNCG. As part of its community outreach, the center matches students and faculty with small and medium sized businesses to develop tailored solutions to selected challenges at a reasonable cost.

The entrepreneurship program is one of the fastest growing at UNCG. There are currently 199 students in the major and 100 students in the minor, 70 of whom are non-business students from across campus. Globally, entrepreneurship is the fastest growing major in the history of accredited schools of business, according to the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business.

Last October, the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers recognized Welsh’s leadership in spreading entrepreneurship through the campus and community with its Excellence in Entrepreneurship across the University Award.

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