The award-winning Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship, founded by successful businessman and philanthropist local resident Michael Dingman, has been ranked among the top 1% of undergraduate entrepreneurship schools in the U.S.

The Dingman Center, a division of the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, was voted 18th out of more than 2,000 schools assessed for their ability to prepare college students and business hopefuls to face a world where 50% of small businesses fail in the first five years. It was the 9th annual ranking by Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine for their combined list of the 25 best undergraduate programs.

Founded in 1986 by Dingman, a visionary who recognized the market power of China long before most could accurately place it on the map, the center has been at the forefront of bringing practical experience and mentorship to the classroom. That combination has won accolades in other publications and corners.

In 2010, the Dingman Center won the top award for innovative teaching methods from the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship (GCEC) for its 16 mentorship programs, its unique partnerships with related centers in China and Israel, its business plan competition and the fact that every member of its faculty is an entrepreneur capable of sharing real-life experience from concept to development, business plans to funding, operations and management. At the time of that award, the center's managing director noted the value of those partnerships for its graduate level program.

"This award is so exciting because it validates our curricular design for global collaborative learning environments," said Asher Epstein."Our partnerships in China and Israel bring Smith MBA students to two of the most dynamic global entrepreneurship environments. Additionally, this is another wonderful recognition of the innovation and leadership the Dingman Center has demonstrated for 25 years."

The center's graduate program has also consistently ranked among the top 25 in the U.S., according to Success magazine. Former Bahamas Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Philip Simon, who now serves as Executive Director of We The People, is a graduate of the Master's degree program at the Dingman Center.

Philip Simon