National Association For Community College Entrepreneurship - Major Milestones

Major Milestones

• Began accepting members.

• 2007 – Held first Elevator Pitch competition at 4th Annual Conference, providing $73,500 to 15 community colleges with funding provided by the Coleman Foundation and the John E. and Jeanne T. Hughes Foundation.

• 2007 – Introduced three awards at 4th Annual Conference: Entrepreneur of the Year Award, sponsored by E-Myth Worldwide; Entrepreneurship Faculty of the Year Award, sponsored by USA Today; and Student Essay Contest, co-sponsored by The New York Times & NACCE

• 2007 – Held first annual Summer Symposium for Community College Entrepreneurship Educators (S-CCEE).

• 2007 – Launched 28-page quarterly journal called Community College Entrepreneurship.

• 2008 – Achieved nonprofit status.

• 2008 – Second round of Elevator Grant program at 5th Annual Conference provided $108,100 to 19 colleges with funding provided by the Coleman Foundation and the John E. and Jeanne T. Hughes Foundation.

• 2009 – Third round of Elevator Grant program at 6th Annual Conference provided $85,700 to 13 colleges with funding provided by the Coleman Foundation and the John E. and Jeanne T. Hughes Foundation. The fourth round of Elevator Grants, presented at the 7th Annual Conference, totaled $70,000, which was donated by the Coleman Foundation.

• Jan. 2009 – Over 300 community college professionals attended the 6th NACCE Conference in Anaheim, CA.

• Oct. 2009 – Over 400 community college professionals attended the 7th NACCE Conference in Chicago, IL. At this conference, NACCE presented the first Lifetime Achievement in Entrepreneurship Award was presented to John Pappajohn; Pappajohn is the driving force behind the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center at his alma mater, North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City, IA, as well as four other entrepreneurship centers at other schools around the state. Also, at this conference, the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center received the NACCE Innovation Award, which was created with and sponsored by Accelper Consulting. The award recognizes entrepreneurial centers and their positive impact on the communities they serve.

• Oct. 2010 - NACCE's 8th Annual Conference drew over 400 community college professionals to Orlando, FL. The conference theme was "Entrepreneurship: The Community College Role in Economic Vitality." Over 50 sessions on topics related to how community colleges can make an impact on their community's economy were presented. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to B.W. (Bernie) Simpkins, of Cocoa, FL, who founded B.W. Simpkins Oil Co. and built it from a four-person start-up into a $150 million business that transformed from an oil delivery firm into a convenience store empire. In addition nine community college professionals were honored with Recognition Awards for their work in entrepreneurship education.

• Oct. 2011 - Over 400 professionals attended NACCE's 9th Annual Conference in Portland, OR. The conference theme was "The Impact of Entrepreneurship." Keynote speakers such as entrepreneur Gary Schoeniger and Pulitzer Prize nominee Clifton Talbert talked about the power of entrepreneurship to change people's lives. In the Coleman Foundation Elevator Grant Competition, 11 community colleges from all parts of the country received $67,500 in grants with an opportunity to earn $25,000 more upon completion of their grant-funded programs, which will focus on encouraging ties between the colleges' entrepreneurship programs and entrepreneurs in their community.