MBA News: $8M Donation Expands Entrepreneurship in the Windy City

Chicago Booth may have a bright future in green entrepreneurship. The Financial Times reports that renewable energy pioneer Michael Polsky has given $8 million, in addition to the $7 million he donated in 2002, to expand Chicago Booth’s center for entrepreneurship, which was named in his honor. Polsky, a 1987 graduate of Chicago’s MBA program, is the founder and CEO of Invenergy, the largest private wind power-generation company in the country. “Entrepreneurs lead the way in innovation and job creation, which in turn benefits our society,” Polsky commented. According to the school, the demand for entrepreneurial programming at Chicago Booth has been on the rise, with the majority of this year’s enrolled students listing it as their intended concentration. Last year saw a record number of applications for the annual Edward L. Kaplan New Venture Challenge, and the school notes that this additional support for the Polsky Center will generate even more opportunities for students to pursue start-up business ideas and gain hands-on entrepreneurial experience.