Centers and Institutes
With support from generous donors and in partnership with various campus organizations, Babson’s academic centers are designed to provide students with real-life experience to put into practice what they learn in the classroom. Also through our centers and institutes, scholars catalyze, convene, and share leading research.
Elizabeth Reed ’19
“CWEL provided me with a network to build upon my values, interests, and beliefs within a supportive community. I was also part of the Family Entrepreneurship Amplifier Course through the Institute for Family Entrepreneurship. The course introduced me to resources, created by Babson, that intersect my education, family business, and personal goals.”
Maunil Vora MBA’20
“I highly recommend people going to the centers for the events. I’ve gone to Institute for Family Entrepreneurship events, to How 2 Tuesdays at the Blank Center, and to Food Sol at the Lewis Institute. They made my Babson experience well-rounded with great exercises by professors and industry experts.”
Maya Mutalik ’21
“I’ve been able to successfully launch my venture, Hope Sews, due in large part to the support of the Blank Center. And, being a part of the CWEL community is one of my favorite things about Babson. My CWEL sisters are intellectual, passionate, driven, and, above all, there for each other.”
Dedicated in 1998, The Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship is the nerve center for entrepreneurial activity at Babson. The 6,000-square-foot center was named in honor of Arthur M. Blank ’63, H’98 (co-founder of The Home Depot) and provides a home for:
- Signature Programs: Rocket Pitch, B.E.T.A. Challenge, and Summer Venture Program
- The John E. and Alice L. Butler Launch Pad
- Members of the Entrepreneurship Division faculty
- Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC)
- The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM)
The Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (CWEL) is one of the most important and visible ways that Babson empowers women leaders. Launched in 2000, CWEL is the first center ever focused on women entrepreneurial leaders at a business school. Through a number of award-winning programs, the Center educates and empowers entrepreneurial leaders to create social and economic impact as they reach their full potential.
The Center’s award-winning programs include:
- The CWEL Mentor Network for graduate and undergraduate students
- The Women Innovating Now (WIN) Lab® venture accelerator program for women entrepreneurs
- The Babson Association of Women MBAs (BAWMBA)
- The Diana International Research Institute (DIRI), the premier global research institute dedicated to women’s entrepreneurship
- Executive Education: Women’s Leadership Program: From Opportunity to Action
The Stephen D. Cutler Center for Investments and Finance is dedicated to advancing finance education and improving the marketability of Babson students. The Center provides programs and cutting-edge resources that enrich the student learning experience, support faculty research, and engage our alumni community. We’re committed to furthering Babson’s innovative and practical approach to finance education and enabling industry practitioners, faculty, and students to collaborate and learn from one another.
The Cutler Center supports:
The Institute for Family Entrepreneurship (IFE) is a hub for research, resources, and innovative programming dedicated to entrepreneurial students and their families. Consistent with Babson’s leadership in entrepreneurship education, and unlike any other school, Babson’s commitment to family entrepreneurs recognizes that families, not just family businesses, drive entrepreneurial behavior. This includes the support of multigenerational family businesses, family foundations, startups and acquisitions supported by families, spousal startups, entrepreneurial family members embarking on separate ventures, and many other value-creating family activities.
Our programs include:
The Lewis Institute for Social Innovation inspires action around the biggest challenges of our time: the UN Global Goals. We help the Babson community and cross-sector stakeholders tap into important networks, frameworks, resources, and conversations that promote taking productive action in creating economic and social value simultaneously, including:
- Uncommon Tables—open conversations, often featuring external experts
- Action Tanks—deep dives into topics like food, mobility, and youth
- Experiential Learning—courses, real-world learning opportunities, and an intensity track
- Open Office Hours—real-time ideas, feedback, and connections
Retail and Supply Chain Management is a multidisciplinary undergraduate concentration at Babson College and its goals are to prepare students for retailing and supply chain management; retail intelligence; and management consulting to retailers and their suppliers, service industries, sales and product management for consumer products, and family-owned retail enterprises.
The Richard W. Sorenson Center for the Arts expands and enhances the presence of arts and culture on Babson’s campus. BabsonARTS presents a diverse array of programming in theater, dance, music, film, video, literary art, and visual arts for on-campus audiences and the general public. Visiting artists act as resources in improving intellectual and creative activity within the Babson community and in the surrounding area. The Sorenson Center also supports the creative and performing experiences of student organizations while offering field-based learning opportunities for students working within business and liberal arts curricula.
The Weissman Foundry at Babson College is a cutting-edge studio dedicated to fostering creative and collaborative projects led by a community of Babson, Olin, and Wellesley college students. The Foundry’s intentional mashup of student disciplines and interests ignites forward-thinking idea exploration, iteration, and design and facilitates meaningful knowledge transfer between its community members.