Miller School’s climb in national rankings continue
Six years ago, the Miller School of Entrepreneurship at East Carolina University cracked the Princeton Review® and Entrepreneur® magazine’s Top 50 undergraduate entrepreneurship programs for the first time at 47. Today, it moved up to No. 30 in the 2025 lists as the only ranked undergraduate entrepreneurial program in North Carolina and third highest in the South.
Fielding Miller reveals the new name of the Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge: The Gene T. Aman Pirate Challenge (photo by Steven Mantilla)
The rankings for the lists are based on a survey The Princeton Review conducted in summer 2024 of administrators at nearly 300 schools in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Europe offering entrepreneurship studies
The Miller School has hit the ground running since it was established almost 10 years ago. Thanks to a $5 million gift from Fielding and Kim Miller, their goal was to have the Miller School serve as the regional hub for preparing generations of ECU students to instill an entrepreneurial mindset into their career paths.
Over the years, programming and investments have infused a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across the campus, which has attracted other investors to the Miller School. According to College of Business Dean Mike Harris, the Millers’ gift has been a transformational gift.
“For six consecutive years, the Princeton Review rankings validate everything we’re trying to accomplish at the Miller School, the College of Business and ECU,” said Harris. “Its approach to student success and regional transformation is at the core of its operations. Alumni, donors and friends of the Miller School are taking notice.”
National Model
The Isley Innovation Hub is host to many events, such as the recent panel discussion hosted by Collegiate Entrepreneur’s Organization (photo by Michael Rudd)
Three years ago, the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship recognized the Miller School and awarded it the Model Emerging Award, which recognizes colleges or universities for their work with new and restructured programs.
Those same programs and more caught the attention of the Princeton Review.
- The recent renaming of the Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge to the Gene T. Aman Pirate Challenge is having an immediate impact. Thanks to a $3.2 million gift from the Aman family earlier this year, the Aman Pirate Challenge will increase its impact across the campus and push the total prize winnings to over $1 million since its inception in 2017.
Additionally, the Aman Pirate Challenge has attracted more than 65 majors who have participated in the annual event. - The Isley Innovation Hub was designed to encourage prospective entrepreneurs by giving them a place to ideate, collaborate and create. Van and Jennifer Isley’s initial gift of $2 million helped attract additional funding to open the 15,00 square foot facility in 2022. Home to the Miller School, The Isley Hub has welcomed more than 50,000 visitors since it opened.
- The Crisp Small Business Resource Center continues to provide resources that help launch and sustain small businesses and foster sustainable economic development.
- More than 30 undergraduate majors from across the campus annually enroll in entrepreneurship classes and pursue entrepreneurship certificates.
- Additional funding has led to scholarship awards, student travel, professorships and start-up investments.
“When I walk into the Isley Hub every day, I’m witness to how the Miller School is having an impact on all of campus,” says Chip Galusha, interim director of the Miller School. “We are constantly showing a return on investment on a gift from 10 years ago. It’s a pleasure to be a part of it.”
Harris is quick to say that the Miller School is not content with past successes. “The Miller School has plans to add more faculty to its ranks, will soon name a new director and is looking at the idea of starting a graduate certificate,” said Harris.
“The great work of Mike Harris and the Miller School team has the attention of the top academic institutions across the U.S.” said Miller, CEO, chairman and co-founder of CAPTRUST. “After starting from scratch in 2015, our BHAG (big hairy audacious goal) was to someday be ranked nationally among the top 25 programs. We’re closer to that goal each year, and the school is now revered as one of the leading programs in the country.”