UB, Loyola University Maryland Partner to Host Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers Annual Meeting in 2021
August 13, 2019
Contact: Office of Government and Public Affairs
Phone: 410.837.5739
The University of Baltimore and Loyola University Maryland have been selected to host the 2021 Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC) Annual Meeting in Baltimore. This worldwide gathering of experts, representing higher education and its connections to policymakers, business leaders and consumer interests, is designed to "advance excellence in entrepreneurship through the unique role" of university-based centers where entrepreneurship is taught and nurtured, according to the GCEC mission statement. UB's Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Loyola's Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship will share hosting duties for the event, which will take place Oct. 13-16, 2021 at various locations throughout the city.
The event's theme, "Leading with Entrepreneurship: Succeeding in Revitalization," is intended to provide clear examples of how higher education and entrepreneurs are leading the way to create the new companies that are transforming their communities. Baltimore's 26 co-working spaces, 16 incubators, and 60 federal research labs, all within a 30-mile radius, provide a broad, close knit entrepreneurial ecosystem that makes the region a desirable "Surge City" in which to start and grow a business. Paired with the significant contributions of 13 metropolitan colleges and universities to this entrepreneurial stance, the Baltimore region is home to many new, successful companies—particularly in the tech sector—which are in turn bolstering the city's ongoing revival.
"This is a great opportunity not only for the two universities but also for the whole Baltimore business community," says Murray Dalziel, dean of the University of Baltimore's Merrick School of Business. "It brings together entrepreneurs and thought leaders from around the world, all dedicated to building a brighter future for local, national and global economies. The University of Baltimore was founded by entrepreneurs, so we are proud to be a part of it."
"We are honored and delighted to co-host this international gathering with the University of Baltimore, and we are particularly excited to have this opportunity to showcase our city," said Kathleen A. Getz, dean of the Sellinger School of Business and Management at Loyola. "At Loyola University Maryland, where we embrace and promote innovation and entrepreneurship, we look forward to being part of these enriching conversations that will define the future."
Details on the GCEC event will be announced in the coming weeks.
Michael Morris, a professor at the University of Notre Dame and chair of the GCEC Site Selection Committee, added, "We are so pleased that GCEC will be going to Baltimore in 2021. While the competition was quite strong, the two partnering universities put together an exciting proposal that really stood out. We were especially impressed with their emphasis on the transformative potential of university entrepreneurship programs in our contemporary urban communities."
Learn more about UB's Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Loyola's Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
Learn more about the GCEC.
Read about the conference in Technical.ly Baltimore.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the College of Public Affairs, the Merrick School of Business, the UB School of Law and the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences.