UE’s ACE³ Program Named Semifinalist in National Competition

The University of Evansville’s Access to Capital and Expertise for Emerging Entrepreneurs (ACE³) program has been selected as a Driver of Financial Wellbeing national semifinalist in the Unlocking ₵hange Challenge. This nationwide competition seeks to find and support leading social entrepreneurs and innovators across the country. A total of 27 semifinalists were chosen from 107 entrants.

The challenge is a collaboration between BNY Mellon, an American worldwide banking and financial services holding company, and Ashoka, the world’s largest group of social entrepreneurs and changemakers. 

The University of Evansville was recently named a Changemaker Campus by Ashoka U, an Ashoka initiative. UE received the recognition due to its leadership in social innovation and changemaking in higher education. It’s one of 50 universities world-wide with this distinction and the first in Indiana.

The ACE³ program is sponsored, funded, and co-managed by Old National Bank and is located in the Schroeder School of Business’s Institute for Banking and Finance under the direction of Yasser Alhenawi, UE associate professor of finance. ACE³ manages a $100,000 portfolio, which offers microloans to women, minority, and disadvantaged owned businesses. Students interface with clients, review business plans, and serve as underwriters for loans. 

Greg Rawski, Schroeder Family Dean, noted that, “ACE³ provides our students with invaluable skills, real-world experiences, and makes a positive impact in the community.”

The Schroeder School of Business is the nation’s fastest riser (+38 places) in the 2018 U.S. News & World Report Best Undergraduate Business Programs and is ranked Number 4 among small private business schools nationally.