The integration of entrepreneurship and innovation into undergraduate engineering education has been found to enhance student performance and improve retention rates (Ohland, 2004). It also prepares graduating engineers to work in rapidly changing environments defined by a competitive global marketplace. Industry is asking for engineers with better communication and teamwork skills, and most importantly, a broader understanding of how to solve real world problems and create value in the marketplace. While some engineering schools are beginning to integrate entrepreneurship and business concepts into the curriculum, many ABET-accredited schools are slow to react to the needs of industry and the marketplace. Recognizing that this problem is threatening the quality of U.S. engineering talent, the Kern Family Foundation established the Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network (KEEN) with the mission to create an action-oriented, entrepreneurial mindset among engineering, science and technical undergraduates. The KEEN initiative, launched in 2005, represents a new and unique entrepreneurial approach to improving undergraduate education in the U.S. This paper shows how building an entrepreneurial ecosystem within and among engineering schools, as exemplified by KEEN, will provide a strong foundation for graduating engineers entering organizations operating in an innovation-based economy. Ecosystems can be defined as environments with interconnected relationships influenced by a variety of factors. An entrepreneurial ecosystem links people by vision, commitment, passion, and innovation surrounding the achievement of a common goal.
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