Hometown Glory

University of Houston is No. 1 in the country in ...

University of Houston's Melcher Hall, home of the Bauer College of Business
Photo by Brian Reading
Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University

It's not news that Houston is one of the top cities in the country for business — just ask Forbes. But the new rankings by Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine on the best business programs for entrepreneurs showed the commitment of two Houston schools to keeping our city awash in entrepreneurial spirit.

The University of Houston's Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship earned the top spot on the best undergraduate programs list, with 100 percent of the faculty also entrepreneurs and a combination of academics and outside-the-classroom learning opportunities, including partnerships, clubs, competitions and other activities.

It's the second time in four years that the UH program, part of the C.T. Bauer College of Business, has been ranked first in the country.

"It's a pat on the back for the fact that we have extended these types of programs to a very broad range of students, but also in an sense to community of Houston, which is now regularly ranked as the number one entrepreneurial city in the country," Bauer College of Business Dean Arthur Warga told KUHF.

In graduate programs, Rice University's Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business also received high marks for its entrepreneurship program, coming in sixth on the list. It's the third time Rice has appeared on the list and its second time in the top 10.

With all faculty also working as entrepreneurs, the Jones School stands out with nearly $1.1 million awarded yearly in business plan competitions, a figure that dwarfs every other program on the list.

As Entrepreneur notes,

"The Rice Alliance program integrates business/science/engineering disciplines in the areas of new technology and entrepreneurship, such as nanotechnology, which is a strong discipline at the school. Among the numerous opportunities for entrepreneurial students is the Wright Fund, a student-run fund valued at more than $850,000."

Looks like business-minded folks can get the bestentrepreneurial education without leaving the city.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”