{"id":138162,"date":"2016-02-05T11:59:06","date_gmt":"2016-02-05T16:59:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=138162"},"modified":"2016-02-15T08:57:25","modified_gmt":"2016-02-15T13:57:25","slug":"rochester-to-host-hundreds-of-entrepreneurship-professionals-for-international-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/rochester-to-host-hundreds-of-entrepreneurship-professionals-for-international-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"Rochester to host hundreds of entrepreneurship professionals for international conference"},"content":{"rendered":"

2016 Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers shines on region \u2018turning over a new leaf\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

This fall, more than 350 entrepreneurship experts from the United States and abroad will arrive in Rochester as the city showcases two universities\u2019 entrepreneurial expertise,\u00a0dynamic growth, excellence in programming, and impact on the local community and beyond.<\/p>\n

The 2016 Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers, or GCEC\u2014co-hosted by the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ and Rochester Institute of Technology\u2014will be held Sept. 29 through Oct. 1. The conference, themed \u201cTurning Over a New Leaf,\u201d features a variety of plenary sessions, workshops, breakout discussions and keynote speeches from national and international entrepreneurship experts as well as UR and RIT faculty and staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is great news for the Rochester region and I was proud to lend my support to the application,\u201d said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY. \u201cRochester continues to lead the way in innovation and commercialization of new ideas, which this convention will spotlight. Bringing together the world\u2019s leading stakeholders in the entrepreneurship education community will continue to highlight everything that the region has to offer and ensure a new generation will carry on Rochester\u2019s high-tech legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rochester is known worldwide as a technology hub. The area is nationally noted for patents per capita and its robust entrepreneurial environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s no surprise that the URochester and Rochester Institute of Technology were selected to host this global conference,\u201d said Rep. Louise Salughter, D-NY. \u201cI congratulate them for the opportunity it will provide to showcase their entrepreneurial achievements.\u00a0These two prestigious institutions are making incredible contributions to our region’s high tech economy and I’m proud to support their efforts.\u00a0I have no doubt attendees will be impressed with Rochester and our world-class universities.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Richard DeMartino, endowed chair and director of RIT\u2019s Albert J. Simone Center for Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship, hosting the conference attendees in Rochester is a nod toward the city\u2019s national standing in this area.<\/p>\n

\u201cRochester has a rich history of innovation and it started 100 years ago with companies like Eastman Kodak, Xerox and Bausch & Lomb,\u201d said DeMartino. \u201cThese organizations, in turn, helped in the creation of large universities, such as RIT and UR, and further helped foster economic development in the region. This conference, which provides tremendous visibility to our universities, is a reflection of the advancement of the region, and the partnership of RIT and UR leads to an approach that is complementary where strengths in technology, design and business meet research in optics and medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Rochester has changed from being dominated by a few companies to one with hundreds of high-tech companies, the role of Centers for Entrepreneurship has become ever more important,\u201d said Duncan Moore, vice provost of entrepreneurship at the URochester. \u201cWhile this GCEC gathering will bring together center directors, staff, and faculty to discuss best practices in entrepreneurship education, one of the areas of focus will be how centers drive economic development.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Ain Center for Entrepreneurship<\/a> defines entrepreneurship as generating and transforming ideas into enterprises that create value\u2014economic or social. More than a discrete set of business skills or practices, entrepreneurship is a calling that can be pursued in many realms of experience and achievement. Launched in 2006 by a grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and named in 2015 in recognition of Mark S. Ain \u201967S (MBA) and his wife Carolyn for their visionary leadership and support of entrepreneurship education throughout the University, the Ain Center offers programs, competitions, events and services university-wide for students of all disciplines, faculty, staff, alumni and the greater Rochester community.<\/p>\n

The Ain Center provides the following:<\/p>\n