Faculty receive awards for contributions to entrepreneurship

Three faculty members — Jeanne Simonelli, Ananda Mitra and Polly Black — received awards on April 11 at the annual Excellence in Entrepreneurship Awards banquet, co-hosted by the Entrepreneurship Society and the Center for Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship (CICE).

Read a full summary of the event, which celebrates the achievements of students, faculty and staff, and the keynote speech by Jean Case, CEO of The Case Foundation »

Jeanne SimonelliSimonelli, a professor of anthropology, received the Russell D. and Elfriede Hobbs Faculty Award for Social Entrepreneurship. Simonelli taught one of the first cross-campus entrepreneurship classes called Free Trade, Fair Trade: Independent Entrepreneurs in the Global Market. She also took the entrepreneurial torch to Nicaragua and helped to teach the principles of entrepreneurship to small business owners there.

Ananda MitraMitra, a professor of communication, received the David and Leila Farr Award for Course Development and Research. Mitra has published a series of 10 books on the effects of digital technology on the world and coined a new term, the NARB, an item of personal information posted online. Mitra and his new digital technologies are shaping everyday life practices from how we teach to the way in which the marginalized can gain a voice through the use of Internet.

Polly BlackBlack is an instructor in the School of Business, an affiliate professor with the Documentary Film Program and the assistant vice president and director of the CICE. She won the Faculty Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award from the students for the impact she is making on their lives through her teaching and mentoring. One student said, “She has given so many students the opportunity to pursue their dreams while developing a skill set no other department at Wake Forest can teach you. Through her I’ve learned to be a better leader, visionary, and creative thinker.”

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