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Thirty-four faculty and professional staff members from public and private universities across the globe were selected to participate in the 2025 cohort of the Building an Entrepreneurship Education Ecosystem Leadership Program, coordinated by Babson College. Dr. Amanda Fickey, Associate Director of Research, Development, and Partnerships at the Kentucky State University (KSU) Center for Economic Education and Financial Literacy, is among the cohort selected for this prestigious program.  

Babson College is known internationally for its entrepreneurship education. In 2024, U.S. News & World Report named Babson College No. 1 in entrepreneurship for the 28th consecutive time. This remarkable program presented by the college allows participants to work with other entrepreneurship educators from around the world to learn methods for cultivating an entrepreneurial education ecosystem on university campuses. 
Institutions represented for this year’s cohort include Arab Open University, Bangkok University School of Entrepreneurship and Management, Bowie State University, German University in Cairo, Kentucky State University, Kyiv School of Economics, Morgan State University, St. Mary’s University, Universidad Metropolitana, University of Oklahoma, and others. 

“Representing the Kentucky State University School of Business and Center for Economic Education and Financial Literacy in Babson College’s Building an Entrepreneurship Education Ecosystem Leadership Program is an honor. I plan to use the skills and resources I gain through this program to create a more inclusive entrepreneurship education ecosystem here at KSU,” said Dr. Fickey. “KSU fosters a strong entrepreneurial spirit across its various departments. This program will allow me to assess KSU’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, identify opportunities for improvement, and lead meaningful change at KSU and throughout the Commonwealth.”

Dr. Fickey earned one of five competitive full scholarships to attend this program. The scholarships were provided by Howard University and the PNC National Center for Entrepreneurship for entrepreneurship educators from HBCUs.

Through this program, she will be joining an international community of entrepreneurship educators including KSU School of Business colleague, Dr. Charles “Randy” Nicholas, who participated in the Doctoral Consortium at the Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference, cosponsored by the Kauffman Foundation in 1994. 
“It was a wonderful experience, and I welcome Dr. Fickey to the Babson community,” said Dr. Nicholas.

“The School of Business is committed to supporting entrepreneurial students and educators across our campus and throughout the state, and our department is pleased that Dr. Fickey was accepted for this internationally competitive program,” said Dr. Gary Stratton, Chair of the School of Business. “Our goal is to build relationships across our campus, encouraging all students from any department to take advantage of our Certificate in Entrepreneurship.” 

KSU’s School of Business is home to the Center for Economic Education and Financial Literacy as well as the Center for Advancing Digital Enablement, Entrepreneurship, and Transformation. 

For more information about KSU’s Certificate in Entrepreneurship or programs within the School of Business, please contact Dr. Gary Stratton at gary.stratton@kysu.edu.