Entrepreneurship students inducted into nationally ranked school

Published Nov 18, 2025 by

Rich Klindworth

Filed under: Student Success, Uncategorized

Thirteen people pose in two rows – seven in the front and six in the back. They are all smiling and have made an X by crossing their four arms in that shape. Nine of the people are holding a clock/compass box. — Nine of the 47 newest Miller School of Entrepreneurship students pose after their induction ceremony.

When Desireé Robinson came to ECU, she had planned on becoming an occupational therapist. But then she found entrepreneurship.

“From a very young age, I’ve always had a whole bunch of business ideas that I wanted to pursue,” she said.

Now, Robinson is one of 47 ECU students who have been inducted into the Miller School of Entrepreneurship. In their junior year, ECU students are eligible to apply to be accepted into the Miller School.

“The anxiety in the back of my head, it’s like, ‘Are you good enough?’ I guess I am good,” Robinson said of wondering if she would be accepted. “[It feels] very good. It definitely helps my confidence.”

“Once you’re accepted, not only do we make a big deal about welcoming you in, but we plug you into our network – the team here inside the school and our successful alumni,” said Dr. Joshua Aaron, the director of the Miller School of Entrepreneurship and J. Fielding Miller Distinguished Professor. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for the students.”

The induction ceremony came only two days after the Princeton Review ranked the Miller School of Entrepreneurship as the 29th best entrepreneurship undergraduate school in the nation. The Miller School is the only such ranked entrepreneurship school in North Carolina.

“We’re thrilled with the ranking! It is something that we’re proud of. But we’re not satisfied with that; we’ve got our sights set even higher,” Aaron said.

A woman shakes a man’s hand as she walks toward him. He is holding a small box. Behind their handshake is a man in a suit and tie, clapping his hands. — Desireé Robinson shakes ECU College of Business Dean Mike Harris’ hand as she is inducted into the Miller School of Entrepreneurship.

The new ranking is the seventh year in a row that the Miller School is inside the top 50. It moved up one spot from 30 to 29 for 2025. This quick rise is a testament to such a young school, as it was only approved to become a school in 2015.

“It’s exciting. Obviously, it gives us some bragging rights, which is fun,” said Van Isley, an ECU College of Business alumnus and namesake for the Isley Innovation Hub, where the Miller School is headquartered. “I think it says a lot about what has happened here.”

“A lot of it is just the people – we have some great alumni, we have some great leaders,” said 2024-2025 Aman Pirate Challenge (APC) winner Quincy McKay. I think [the ranking] should be higher. I think Miller School is great.”

McKay was also inducted into the Miller School of Entrepreneurship during the ceremony. He is already an entrepreneur with his company Campus Cribs, an online source for students to find off-campus housing. Even though he won the latest APC, he didn’t want to assume he would be accepted into the Miller School.

“I figured it would probably give me a little leg up. But I didn’t know for sure,” he said. “It’s good to definitely [get in].”

The induction ceremony took place in the Isley Innovation Hub. The newly accepted Miller School students were given a special clock/compass. The gift is symbolic – the compass is a metaphor for the Miller School guiding the students on their entrepreneurial path, and the clock shows that the time to start down that path is now.

a woman is holding a box that has both a compass and a clock in it. She is behind the box as she shows the viewer what the compass clock looks like. — Desireé Robinson shakes ECU College of Business Dean Mike Harris’ hand as she is inducted into the Miller School of Entrepreneurship.

“It’s special. It’s unique to the Miller school and the entrepreneurship program,” Isley said. “It’s really neat to see the excitement in the students’ eyes when they’re starting this program, and what it means to them.”

“It’s great! You know, having everybody here – especially a lot of the leaders of the Miller school – kind of brings it all in together, ties everything together. It’s a great experience,” McKay said.

Now that the induction ceremony is behind them, the work towards an entrepreneurial career begins for some and continues for others.

“It’s more than what the textbook says or what we’re going to say to them in the classroom – what they really are able to do is plug into a very powerful network of Pirate entrepreneurs,” Aaron said. “We’re going to help you figure out what your needs are and how we can match you with the appropriate person in our network to help meet those needs.”