University of St. Thomas Schulze School of Entrepreneurship ranked in Top 25

The University of St. Thomas Schulze School of Entrepreneurship received a new ranking this week by Princeton Review that lists the school as the 23rd best entrepreneur program in the nation. Additionally, it ranks first among Catholic Universities.

"So, we’re in the top 25, finally. We feel good about that," said Richard Schulze, the founder of Best Buy and the sponsor of the school.

"We are number three, if you will, of all colleges and universities whose student population is less than 10,000 students. So, that’s a distinction," said Schulze.

Since the University of St. Thomas started the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship inside its Opus College of Business at the Minneapolis campus in 2005, entrepreneurship has become the 8th largest major of study at UST. Students in 74 different majors now take entrepreneurship classes.

Nate Charles is among the students who’ve already started their business. You could call him the Good Humor Man without ice cream or a truck. He started his business on a bike called Minnesota Beverage Bikes Company. He sells cold beverages along the exercise paths near Twin Cities Lakes. 

"Everyone likes to go around Lake Calhoun in the summer and run around," explained Charles. "And sometimes they don’t have a cold drink with them, so I’m there to provide that for them."

Nate Charles, a student at the University of St. Thomas Schulze School of Entrepreneurship (FOX 9)

Nate’s entrepreneurial spirit earned him one of ten four-year, full-tuition Schulze Innovation Scholarships for incoming first-year students. 

Entrepreneurship is important to the economy. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 4,363 business establishment births in the first quarter of 2021. The bureau says they recreated 9,395 jobs.

"People that have been sequestered more at home thinking more about, gee, what am I doing today? How much different, you know, can I should, will I be next year from this experience? And learning how to take control of their own opportunity and destiny has become increasingly more important," said Schulze.

St. Thomas student Nate Charles runs his own business, the Minnesota Beverage Bikes Company. He sells cold beverages along the exercise paths near Twin Cities Lakes. 

As for Nate Charles, he’s already thinking about his next business, this one having to do with soccer. He can’t give away the details in order to protect his idea, but believes it could be a game changer. 

"If I do it right, it could change how soccer is played in the high school and college level," said Charles.

He’s already peddled one path in the business world, and now he’s looking for more.

"It’s really important, if you have an idea, chase that idea," said Charles.