Center for Enterprise

Northwood has never strayed from our purpose of educating business leaders. We boldly and proudly proclaim our mission of developing transformative leaders who drive economic and social progress and are prepared with the tools and skills necessary to succeed in any endeavor.

By openly sharing our core values, which promote the advantages of an entrepreneurial and free society, Northwood instills in students an ethic that is vital to the future of business. Being able to think like an entrepreneur is a highly coveted skill in today’s competitive marketplace. Organizations of all shapes and sizes need people who can take calculated risks and find opportunity within complex situations.

A Northwood education prepares students for successful careers by instilling entrepreneurial competencies that are in high demand in the global marketplace. Business management fundamentals, free enterprise principles, and real-world experiences are combined so students learn how to analyze problems, gain insights, and build critical thinking skills that enable them to be successful in any endeavor.

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Campaign goal

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$25M

Goal for this initiative

1 in 3

Northwood alumni own all or part of their own business

$211.8M

Economic value of Northwood University to Great Lakes Bay Region

$879.3M

Economic value of Northwood University to Michigan

Key Outcomes

To accomplish this objective, the Center for Enterprise Initiative will establish endowments that will generate funds to support the following areas.

A photo of Dave Oventhal, faculty and endowed chair, speaking at leadership insights on stage behind a podium.

Faculty Positions and Academic Programs

Endowed chairs in business management and entrepreneurship will transform Northwood University’s ability to educate the next generation of free-enterprise leaders.

A student posing with President MacDonald, holding a certificate for the Presidential Scholarship.

Student Scholarships

Northwood University believes that any qualified person should be able to receive the life-defining experience of education regardless of economic means. The Center for Enterprise campaign seeks generous benefactors who will provide endowed and named scholarships for entrepreneurial students.

A photo of Bob Kron at leadership insights. The Michigan flag and Northwood University flag are staged behind him.

Thought Leadership and Advocacy

Funds are needed to support Northwood’s efforts to enhance The Northwood Idea and the university’s ability to reach greater audiences of students who believe in individual freedom, personal responsibility, and limited government.

Students sitting in the Idea Center's podcast studio using the equipment.

Business Creation Initiatives

Long-term funding of the Northwood Idea Center and the establishment of a Venture Fund will be crucial in providing students with opportunities to apply what they learn in the classroom and develop their ideas into viable business opportunities.

Three students pose in suits surrounded by glass walls.

Experiential Learning Initiatives

Northwood students are provided opportunities for experiential learning throughout their course of study, required internships and practicums, and through participation in “Signature Events.” To provide even more exposure to the “real world” challenges business leaders face as entrepreneurs, owners, and leaders in private and publicly owned businesses, an endowment is sought to support programming.

Entrepreneurial Leaders

Northwood’s organic entrepreneurial expertise is the driving force behind the Center for Enterprise. The Center for Enterprise will be the centerpiece of Northwood’s efforts to establish the University as the leading institution for practicing and espousing the timeless principles of free enterprise, entrepreneurship, and the tenets of a democratic society inherent in The Northwood Idea.

Within the framework of a university-wide Strategic Plan that charts a path for sustained institutional excellence, the Center for Enterprise will enhance our ability to nurture the leadership skills, teamwork, and drive our graduates need to excel in the business world and society.