Dr. Sharianne Walker, Dean of Western New England University's College of Business, announced that the Western New England University chapter of Sigma Nu Tau has inducted five students and one Honorary Entrepreneur into this prestigious organization. Sigma Nu Tau is a national, academic honor society for entrepreneurship majors who perform well academically, and possess the traits of honor, integrity, and a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Sigma Nu Tau's mission is to promote, recognize, and reward academic excellence in entrepreneurship and to encourage and recognize the practice of principled entrepreneurship.
This year's induction ceremony was held virtually on April 21 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Dean Walker said it is important that "these deserving students, who worked hard to achieve this distinction, be celebrated, especially during these difficult times."
Assistant Professor Mary Schoonmaker and Associate Professor Joseph Gerard, faculty advisors to the Sigma Nu Tau Chapter at Western New England, congratulated the students and Honorary Entrepreneur, Paul Silva cofounder of Valley Venture Mentors. Silva is an entrepreneurial innovator in the Pioneer Valley, having founded Valley Venture Mentors, Launch 413, and serving as Executive Director for River Valley Investors. Silva has also served as facilitator and mentor for the Western Mass Innovation Jam, a startup weekend sponsored by several area colleges and funded by a PeoplesBank grant to Western New England University. In his acceptance speech, Paul explained to each of the recipients that "Now more than ever, entrepreneurship would be critical to moving our ecosystem beyond the pandemic."
Members of the 2020 induction class include:
Chad Birchall, junior
Grace Buttrick, junior
Samantha Dion, junior
Joseph Ferrera, senior
Bradley Montanez, junior
Western New England University is the only private institution in western Massachusetts accredited by AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and among fewer than 5% of business schools in the world to hold this accreditation. For more information about Western New England University's major in Entrepreneurship visit the website at https://www1.wne.edu/academics/undergraduate/entrepreneurship.cfm.
