Old Dominion's fifth class of Entsminger Fellows, recruited from the faculty to promote the University's entrepreneurial mission in its academic colleges, has been announced by Provost Augustine "Austin" Agho.
"The Entsminger Fellows play a key role as entrepreneurship advocates within their respective colleges and/or departments," Agho said. "They assist us with advancing entrepreneurship and innovation across the campus."
The 2018 Entsminger Fellows are:
- Alison Reed, assistant professor in the Department of English
- Karen Eagle, entrepreneurship lecturer and area coordinator in the Department of Management
- Tammi Dice, associate dean for Undergraduate Studies and Assessment
- Shirshak Dhali, professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Kimberly Adams Tufts, associate dean of the College of Health Sciences
- Lisa Horth, associate professor in the Department of Biology and;
- Lisa Mayes, executive director for the Center for High Impact Practices. (CHIP)
The 2018 Entsminger Fellows will attend the Babson College Price-Babson Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators in Massachusetts on May 28 to June 1 and will return to Old Dominion with strategies they can take into the classroom.
"The power of the Entsminger Fellows is their interdisciplinary perspective and support for innovation and entrepreneurship," said Nancy Grden, executive director, Strome Entrepreneurial Center. "In addition, this year's cohort will serve as entrepreneurial advocates within their respective Colleges and Departments."
A 1974 geology graduate, Lee Entsminger has been active in numerous initiatives involving his alma mater, endowing a scholarship in coastal geography, guest lecturing in engineering and participating in the University's development of an entrepreneurial curriculum.
That initiative was spurred in 2014 through an $11 million gift to the University by alumnus Mark Strome. Strome and his wife, Tammy, sought to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem at Old Dominion through their gift, spanning admitted freshmen to the University faculty.
The Strome Entrepreneurial Center, which opened in the fall of 2014, has provided support and assistance to dozens of companies created by Old Dominion students. The Entsminger Fellows program is an effort to further tie the entrepreneurial efforts of students to the University's world-class faculty.
