The Keenan Center

The Community of Entrepreneurs, Innovators & Creatives is an exclusive opportunity to join a group of like-minded students and faculty who prefer learning by doing, and are passionate about innovation with the goal of building a better world. If you are ready to embark on your entrepreneurial journey, this is the group for you. Benefits of joining this community include access to funding opportunities, mentorships, featured speakers, travel opportunities, $500 book voucher for your first semester and more.

Applications open for accepted first year students in February and are due in early March. All majors are welcome. Applications are currently under review for incoming first-year students (Class of 2026).

The Keenan Center provides students with the opportunity to:

• Work with mentors in and out of the classroom, with real-world experience building brands, launching companies and developing cutting-edge technology
• Have immediate access to 3D printers, prototyping and our state-of-the-art MakerSpace, where our students roll up their sleeves and create every day
• Craft their own entrepreneurial journey, and find ways to clearly identify and articulate their goals
• Leverage and build relationships with hyper-local, regional and global inventors and business leaders to build an evergreen network

The Keenan Center currently offers the following minors:

• Minor Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Our curriculum and experiential learning are catered to each student’s goals and vision to set them up for a meteoric career and life arc.

The #ENI minor is designed to help any student in any major shape their future by allowing them to focus on an area they are passionate about. Our curriculum and experiential learning are catered to each student’s goals and vision to set them up for a meteoric career and life arc.

Mike D’Eredita, PhD ‘92 is the The Keenan Center’s director, bringing decades of launching companies to our team. He is joined my James Shomar and Hasan Stephens, our Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, Doug Hill is our Maker and creative leader, and head of the Maker Space, and Matt Read, Professor of Practice, helps craft our student and center brands and marketing.

The Keenan Center community prides ourselves on the success and joy of our students. The ENI Minor introduces students to the entrepreneurial method and heavily focuses on learning from doing. The doing often involves launching their own business. Our annual Dolphin Tank competition allows students to compete for $35,000 in real money to start their businesses, and currently over 20 businesses started in the Tank are growing to this day. Our externship program, ‘Phin Labs, places students into established global and regional companies embedded in high-tech, cutting edge and new economy businesses to sharpen their skills. Students have full access to our MakerSpace, and regularly put in position to help first-stage businesses launch.