The United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) announced the recipients of the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Education Awards on January 8 as part of the USASBE 2022: Pioneer & Persevere annual event held as a hybrid conference. As USASBE’s top program honors, the USASBE Excellence in Entrepreneurship Education Awards recognize bold and innovative programs making an impact in the field of entrepreneurship education. The Model Program Award (established program) and Model Emerging Program Award (nascent program) honor colleges and universities with comprehensive, high-quality educational programs that successfully train future generations of entrepreneurs, whereas the Excellence in Pedagogical Innovation and Excellence in Co-Curricular Innovation awards recognize institutions with creative, high-quality, sustainable, and impactful courses and co-curricular programs in entrepreneurship education. Recipients of this year’s awards were Virginia Tech (Model Program Award); the University of Alabama at Birmingham (Model Emerging Program Award); Southern Methodist University, Meadows School of the Arts (Excellence in Pedagogical Innovation Award); and The Garage at Northwestern University (Excellence in Co-Curricular Innovation Award). “This year’s competition was as inspiring for our reviewers and judges as it was challenging for them to pick just one recipient in each category. The process was rigorous and transparent, and our finalists are doing incredible things within their respective programs. Finalists in all four categories deserve commendation, but in the end, only one can be named the best in each category,” said Judi Eyles, program awards chair for USASBE 2022.  “COVID-19 impacted programs throughout the world, and examples of programs that made the most of a very challenging situation emerged from this year’s awards competition as distinctively impressive. They boldly moved forward through the pandemic with efforts to make a positive difference in the lives of their students and communities. We look forward to continuing to share the successes of their programs throughout 2022,” said Julienne Shields, CEO of USASBE. About USASBE Founded in 1981, the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) is an inclusive community of educators, researchers, and entrepreneurs advancing entrepreneurship education through bold teaching, scholarship, and practice. Membership is open to all, as is attendance at USASBE’s hallmark annual conference. USASBE also publishes a peer-reviewed academic journal, Entrepreneurship Education & Pedagogy, and develops a variety of helpful resources and professional development opportunities for entrepreneurship educators as they create a positive impact. For more information, visit USASBE.org or contact USASBE CEO Julienne Shields at [email protected]. Press Contact: Julienne Shields  202-381-9330 Source: USASBE