The Center for Entrepreneurship (CFE) was founded in 1977 by Wichita State University professor Fran Jabara, who decided it was time to change society’s image of business people. With his own funds and university support, Jabara created the first program under the Center for Entrepreneurship, a workshop titled “Entrepreneurship: Your Future in Business”. In 1987, with a large donation from local e
ntrepreneur and WSU alum Tom Devlin, a free-standing building was erected on campus to house the Center for Entrepreneurship, making WSU one of the first universities in the world to dedicate a building exclusively to entrepreneurship education. Not long after, academic programs in entrepreneurship were solidified. The Center for Entrepreneurship serves emerging and established entrepreneurs each year through community programs, such as Growing Rural Businesses, Kansas Family Business Forum, and student engagement programs, such as the Shocker New Venture Competition.
