Syracuse University (SU) was founded as a private university in 1870. The campus comprises 13 faculties, including the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Visual and Performing Arts, School of Architecture, College of Law, School of Information Studies, College of Engineering, School of Education, Graduate School, Falk College of Sport, College of Professional Studies, Whitman School of Management, Maxwell School, and Newhouse School of Public Communications. Syracuse University has about 22,000 students, of whom about 15,000 are undergraduates and the rest are postgraduate students. For the UPP program, the work of the Whitman School of Management is of particular importance, as it is ranked 13th in the USA for entrepreneurship programs by the Princeton Review (2025). The ranking considers program evaluations, professors, student opportunities for mentorship, and startup competitions. In 2021, it was recognised by AACSB (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) for its commitment to creating and incubating cutting-edge business innovations and nurturing entrepreneurship among generations of business leaders, as well as its 21st place for Entrepreneurship MBA according to U.S. News & World Report. The Whitman School of Management has approximately 4,000 students in its programs and an alumni network of around 30,000 graduates. It offers undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, and online programs, as well as a highly developed mentoring and competitive working environment with a developed ecosystem for launching business ideas.
The UPP program for FON doctoral students included a professional visit to Syracuse University (USA), especially interactive meetings and work discussions with experts from entrepreneurial practice at Whitman School of Management, during which FON participants became acquainted with approaches in entrepreneurship education, scientific research, as well as the importance of active support from a large alumni community and the ecosystem developed in the city of Syracuse, where the university itself is recognized for its entrepreneurial activity and influence.
Guided by SU professor Mirza Tihić, FON participants toured the campus, visited all university capacities for entrepreneurship support in teaching and extracurricular environments—from business idea incubators, innovation centers, creative hubs, makers labs, alumni clubs to stock market simulation rooms and gaming labs, as well as infrastructure for various sports, especially dominant college football, all of which are available to students and faculty.
Participants also had the opportunity to get to know the city of Syracuse, its community environment, and local entrepreneurs in a city coworking space, as well as representatives of a unique social entrepreneurship concept at the city market, which supports local entrepreneurship. In the last days of the program, they participated in the “Health and Entrepreneurship Research Forum,” a conference on health in entrepreneurship, resilience, and the general context of contemporary entrepreneurship. Together with students from Serbia who spent time at Syracuse University under the special BOLD program, they visited Niagara Falls, the place where, thanks to Nikola Tesla’s solutions, the first large hydroelectric power plant with a polyphase system was built, enabling the electrification and industrialisation of North America and the world.
In the atmosphere of exceptional hospitality and kindness characteristic of Syracuse University and the Whitman School of Management, FON doctoral students were welcomed by academics and practitioners open to sharing knowledge, experiences, recommendations, and further connections. Practical experience was discussed and shared, with recommendations on topics in the field of entrepreneurship research and careers in entrepreneurship with Maria Minniti; the role of entrepreneurship in higher education with Mike Haynie, Leen Nsouli; entrepreneurship education for veterans with Mirza Tihić, creative entrepreneurship with Sean Branagan, theory and practice of entrepreneurship with guidelines for research work with Johan Wiklund, inclusive entrepreneurship with Gary Shaheen, teaching entrepreneurship outside of business school with Art Thomas, ethnography with Azra Hromadžić, and other entrepreneurship topics with Elvis Avdic, and John Torrens, Emad Rahim. The UPP program contributed to learning and exploring good practices in a pragmatic and applicable approach to entrepreneurship education, including models and practices in the classroom and extracurricular processes. It also engaged support from the alumni club and the city community, which developed through the “community-based learning” approach and its associated values.
After returning from Syracuse, FON began preparing for a practical seminar at the faculty at the end of 2025, aimed at transferring acquired knowledge and implementing innovative teaching methods in entrepreneurship. UPP is an example of a modern academic cooperation model for enhancing teaching capacity and internationalisation of education at FON and Syracuse University, laying the groundwork for new joint projects and academic mobility in the future.
The motto of Syracuse University is “Suos Cultores Scientia Coronat”, or “Knowledge crowns those who seek her”, which can be interpreted as “Knowledge crowns its devotees,” emphasising the importance of learning through practical application and community engagement.
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