Entrepreneurial University: Concurrent Practices in the US Business Higher Education System A Romanian Fulbright Scholar's View

The paper addresses a model of entrepreneurial university embraced by American business schools as perceived by a Romanian Fulbright scholar. The purpose of this study was to highlight the practices pursued by the US entrepreneurial universities in their journey towards increasing performance excellence and strengthening the prestige of the university. The study builds upon two quality management principles--continuous improvement and customer focus-- materialized, in the frame of American entrepreneurial universities, in the wide-spreading and strengthening of partnerships with all parties interested in the university's educational process. Results indicate that the entrepreneurial model of university is concerned with the quality of its "products", specifically students' competencies and qualifications, but also with the results and performances obtained both scientifically and technologically, and on the labor market. Results show that the development of the entrepreneurial university model should be supported by direct involvement and total commitment of the entire teaching staff, in partnership with the business environment, other educational institutions, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and society as a whole. To help consolidating and expanding the concept of entrepreneurial university, schools should be concerned with assessing themselves against three criteria: the teaching and learning activity; the institutional culture and its impact upon society; and the orientation towards market/ business environment.