NACCE Announces 2022 Entrepreneurial College and President of the Year Awards

Boston, MA, October 04, 2022 --(PR.com)-- The National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), the nation’s leading organization focused on promoting entrepreneurship through community colleges, has named Vance-Granville Community College (VGCC) in Henderson, North Carolina, as the 2022 “Heather Van Sickle Entrepreneurial College of the Year.” James Murdaugh, Ph.D., president of Tallahassee Community College, (TCC) in Tallahassee, FL, has been named NACCE’s 2022 “Entrepreneurial President of the Year.”

The awards were announced at NACCE’s Annual Conference, now underway in Boston, where NACCE celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. NACCE was founded on the campus of Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, MA in 2002.

2020 Heather Van Sickle Entrepreneurial College Award
Vance-Granville Community College’s selection as NACCE’s 2022 Entrepreneurial College of the Year attests to the leadership of President Rachel Desmarais, Ph.D., who has steadily expanded the college’s entrepreneurial initiatives. In 2021, President Desmarais signed NACCE’s Presidents for Entrepreneurship Pledge (PFEP), committing the college to five action steps designed to create economic vitality through entrepreneurship. Among an array of other entrepreneurial initiatives, the college also hosted an innovative entrepreneurship youth camp called “Be a ‘Trep” (short for entrepreneur) for area middle school students aspiring to be entrepreneurs.

“Through innovative events hosted by Vance-Granville’s Small Business Center and other entrepreneurial programming, the college has demonstrated its commitment to promoting entrepreneurship throughout the region it serves,” said Rebecca Corbin, Ed.D.,president and CEO of NACCE. “It is a pleasure to recognize this outstanding college, which was selected by an independent judging panel, as the winner of NACCE’s 2022 Entrepreneurial College of the Year Award.”

2022 Entrepreneurial President Award
James Murdaugh, Ph.D., was named NACCE’s 2022 Entrepreneurial President of the Year for his leadership in entrepreneurial endeavors at Tallahassee Community College. A few examples include:

· Creation of “TCC Spark,” a program that focuses on equipping student entrepreneurs with the skills, tools, and connections needed to start and grow successful businesses;

· Launching the Wakulla Environmental Institute that spurred the creation of the Oyster Aquaculture industry in Florida. The program is responsible for the start-up of over 100 businesses and the creation of more than 300 new jobs in the local area;

· Hosting of “Entrepreneurship Educators Meet-ups,” linking educators across the country to share insights about entrepreneurship education.

“We are proud to honor President Murdaugh with NACCE’s Entrepreneurial President of the Year Award for 2022,” said Corbin. “Through his steadfast commitment to infusing entrepreneurial thinking and action through innovative programs at TCC, he shines a national spotlight on the value of entrepreneurial curriculum and programming among community colleges and beyond.”

About NACCE
NACCE is an organization of educators, administrators, presidents, and entrepreneurs focused on igniting entrepreneurship in their communities and campuses. NACCE has two main goals: to empower college leaders to approach the business of running a community college with an entrepreneurial mindset and to augment the community college's role in supporting job creation and entrepreneurs in their local ecosystems. NACCE has over 340 member colleges, representing nearly 2,000 members and approximately 3.3 million students. For more information, visit www.nacce.com. Follow us on Twitter at @NACCE, like us on Facebook, and join our LinkedIn group.