Kent State is First to Receive Charter from Entrepreneurship Honor Society

Sigma Nu Tau Entrepreneurship Honor Society has announced that Kent State University is the first university in the country to be presented with a charter to operate a chapter of its honor society. The charter was presented on April 18 by Dr. Nancy J. Church, president and executive director of Sigma Nu Tau, to Kent State’s Julie Messing and Karla Mendoza who were installed as faculty advisor and faculty secretary, respectively, of the Kent State Chapter. 

Seven student members, five faculty members and three entrepreneur members also were inducted as founding charter members of the Kent State Sigma Nu Tau Chapter.

The students inducted were all from Ohio: Collin Bensinger of Kent, Darla Craiglow of Lancaster, Shannon Gallagher of Mantua, Kyle Hughes of Cuyahoga Falls, Christopher Lintner of North Canton, Richard Pine of Brecksville and Nathan Rango of Hudson.

The charter and induction ceremony was followed by the Michael D. Solomon Entrepreneurship Speaker Series, which featured Jeff Hoffman, founder of Priceline.com.

Sigma Nu Tau Entrepreneurship Honor Society was established at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh in May 2009 with the mission “to promote, recognize, honor and reward academic excellence in entrepreneurship and to encourage and recognize the practice of principled entrepreneurship.” Regionally-accredited colleges and universities offering a major in entrepreneurship, small business management or a related major with an emphasis on entrepreneurship are eligible to petition to establish a chapter. 

Sigma Nu Tau is the only national academic honor society dedicated to entrepreneurship.  Four categories of membership are available: student, faculty, entrepreneur and honorary.  Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to join as student members. The membership fee is $50, and benefits include a congratulatory letter, certificate, lapel pin and a one-year subscription to Entrepreneur magazine. 

For more information about Sigma Nu Tau, contact Church at nancy.church@plattsburgh.edu or visit www.sigmanutau.org. For more information about Kent State’s Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship, visit www.kent.edu/cebi.

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Photo Caption:
From left, Kent State University’s Julie Messing and Karla Mendoza, from the university’s Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship, display the Sigma Nu Tau charter presented by Dr. Nancy Church, president and executive director of Sigma Nu Tau.

Media Contacts:
Julie Messing, jmessing@kent.edu, 330-672-9430
Bob Burford, rburford@kent.edu, 330-672-8516