St. Thomas taps entrepreneurship chief as next dean of Opus College of Business

Laura Dunham, an entrepreneur-turned-professor, has been named dean of the Opus University of Company at the College of St. Thomas, the next-premier organization university in Minnesota.

Dunham for the last 5 decades has been affiliate dean in charge of the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship within just the business higher education. She succeeds Stefanie Lenway, who led the Opus Higher education of Company considering the fact that 2014.

“The Opus College or university desires an entrepreneurial leader, who will keep on to build a society of innovation in all corners of the college or university,” Lenway mentioned in a statement. “Laura is this entrepreneurial leader with deep practical experience creating systems in the Schulze Faculty that have gained countrywide recognition.”

With Dunham at the helm, the Schulze Faculty grew approximately a few moments in dimensions as calculated by the quantity of majoring college students and total credit hours taught. Entrepreneurship is now the fifth-major important at the University of St. Thomas.

In that time, the Schulze College went from unranked to No. 23 on the Princeton Review’s checklist of undergraduate entrepreneurship courses. Dunham aims for St. Thomas to be between the major-ranked Catholic company colleges.

“We have a actually excellent school and staff who are committed to educating our learners and supporting our community,” Dunham explained in an job interview. “What’s wonderful about the rankings is that they allow people today know about our function.”

Dunham joined St. Thomas 19 many years back right after co-founding a studio theater as a young grownup. She helped build interdisciplinary ordeals at the St. Paul-based college, together with a workshop for very first-12 months college students that matches, for instance, engineering college students with finance majors on tasks.

Dunham labored with some of the university’s top rated benefactors, like Finest Obtain founder Dick Schulze and Liquid Investments CEO Ron Fowler, to develop four business enterprise competitions that reward learners with scholarships and seed money.

Additional a short while ago, she aided the Schulze School produce associations with the Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce, the Latino Financial Improvement Centre and many others to produce far more alternatives for future college students and company leaders of color in Minnesota. As a consequence, Opus Higher education started to catch the attention of a additional various pool of candidates to scholarship programs and improve college variety.

“We are definitely dedicated to building an surroundings that attracts a additional various set of college students,” Dunham mentioned. She pointed out that the Twin Metropolitan areas region, like substantially of the nation, faces a scarcity of talent and a population that is increasingly assorted.

“We need to have to make absolutely sure everyone is finding accessibility to instructional prospects,” she stated. “It is really a ethical very important and an financial vital.”

Lenway will stay at the Opus Faculty, getting a faculty fellow in its Organization in a Digital Earth initiative.