"One year at Acton was worth far more than two years in a traditional MBA program. As a result, I have increased the revenue of my business over 500%." - Beau Burkett '05
Acton School of Business Is Lauded for Its “Entrepreneurial Drive”
08/13/2007
Austin, Texas (August 13, 2007) –
“Imagine a business school where professors can’t lecture …” the story begins.
“It exists in Austin, Texas,” a journalist at the Austin American Statesman
writes in an uplifting article that profiles the Acton School of Business.
The paper went on to single out Acton – the nation’s only MBA program tailored
exclusively to entrepreneurship – for staying true to it mission, which Acton’s Co-Founder, Jeff Sandefer, explained in an interview with the journalist.
“Our
goal with the school is to build the very best hands-on entrepreneurship school in the country,” said Sandefer. “Traditional business schools, while they do a lot of
things, really aren\'t focused on people who want to build and run businesses.”
The story also highlighted Acton’s unique approach to teaching entrepreneurship,
contrasting it against the one-size-fits-all approach of many MBA schools.
“Teachers [at Acton] must be entrepreneurs,” the journalist writes. “There’s no
tenure or research. Student evaluations determine teachers’ compensation, and the teacher who scores the lowest at year’s end is asked to undergo training before
teaching again.
“All lessons are based on case studies. Students are required to sell a product and work together to build circuit boards on a simulated
assembly line. An entire course is devoted to finding a ‘Life of Meaning,’ and teachers are only allowed to ask questions.”
The article ends by addressing
Acton’s success with grooming entrepreneurs, finishing with a quote from Chris Munson, who graduated in 2005 and is Chief Financial Officer of Austin\'s
Pizza.
“The practical skills give entrepreneurial students more options upon graduation than a traditional MBA,” Munson told the paper. “There are a lot of
people just who want the piece of paper from a prestigious university. If that’s all you want, then Acton’s not the place for you.”
The Austin, Texas, based
Acton MBA in Entrepreneurship is offered through Hardin Simmons University.
