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Herring Family Entrepreneurial Leadership Village

Herring Family Entrepreneurial Leadership Village

The Herring Family Entrepreneurial Leadership Village (HELV) at Babson College is a one-of-a-kind facility where Babson students, alumni, faculty, stakeholders, and staff will collaborate and come together as they learn.

Made possible by the generous naming gift from the Herring Family and the founding gift from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation (AMBFF), The Herring Family ELV allows Babson's students and community to expand upon the college's strategic vision, developing the skills necessary to be an entrepreneurial leader impacting communities everywhere. Aspiring and established entrepreneurial leaders will learn and apply the mindsets, principles, and tools of entrepreneurial leadership to turn their ideas into reality.

The physical village will serve as a space that brings students, faculty, staff, partners, and new stakeholders together, as a community, for unique living and learning experiences as well as educational experimentation. Construction of the new village, funded entirely through generous philanthropy, will include classrooms, collaborative spaces, and a café. The construction is currently underway.

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Babson is committed to educating and advancing entrepreneurial leaders by creating new learning pathways and engaging ecosystems, enabling entrepreneurial leadership without boundaries.

We welcome your input—share your ideas at askELV@babson.edu.

The Opportunities

The HELV offers a wide range of Entrepreneurial Leadership focused opportunities, including: 

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A place to amplify programs across Babson

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A hub for Babson’s signature FME program

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New ways to connect with Babson’s Center and Institutes programming

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Peer to peer learning through HELV Town Halls and skill sharing

D.R. Widder MBA’99, Vice President of Innovation
The HELV is a place where inspiring entrepreneurial leaders enable aspiring entrepreneurial leaders. It is a way to connect to events, learning, opportunities, and each other, to bring ideas to life.
D.R. Widder MBA’99
Vice President, Innovation

What it Means to be an Entrepreneurial Leader

Bruce Herring ’87, P’19

A Different Kind of Entrepreneur

With Babson’s new Herring Family Entrepreneurial Leadership Village, Bruce Herring ’87, P’19 invests in the College’s strategic plan to build entrepreneurial leadership skills in all students.

Everybody who comes out of Babson can develop the skills of being entrepreneurial and being a leader. So, it’s inclusive of finance and marketing and investment majors. All of our students can develop the skills to be problem solvers, to be creative, and to excel in organizations when others struggle.
Bruce Herring ’87, P’19

What is the HELV?

The Herring Family Entrepreneurial Leadership Village (HELV) is a place everyone can connect to new learning experiences, new opportunities, and most of all, to each other; 

  • It is a living-learning community that strengthens Babson’s impact on communities everywhere as an amplification platform to scale thought leadership and action. 
  • It is a laboratory and a model for entrepreneurial ecosystems. 
  • It is a “partnership first” place for both industry and academic collaboration. 
  • It will create a hub of interaction and connection through new learning spaces, residential, and meeting spaces. 
  • It will offer tech-enabled hybrid experiences to impact both those physically in the HELV, and those around the world. 
  • It will be the future home to the Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship, a unique and required course for all first year students that perfectly embodies the environment of the HELV 

The HELV fosters widespread understanding and application of the principles and tools of entrepreneurial leadership. It is the embodiment of the Strategic Plan: Entrepreneurial Leadership Impacting Ecosystems Everywhere, to increase learner success to deliver simultaneous economic, social, and environmental value.

The HELV Construction Project

The construction of the Herring Family Entrepreneurial Leadership Village is funded entirely through generous philanthropy in support of Babson’s strategy. This philanthropy will enable renovation of a portion of the existing Babson Executive Conference Center to provide enhanced opportunities for both executive and student experiences in this space.

This project has been intentionally designed in phases to minimize disruption to the campus.

This construction phase of the Herring Family Entrepreneurial Leadership Village will include:

  • Three modern learning spaces, with associated breakout rooms
  • Collaborative spaces
  • Socializing and connection areas, including a cafe

Construction is targeted to start in late spring 2023 and will be funded 100% by philanthropy. Construction schedule could be impacted by Town of Wellesley permitting process and material lead times.

The project has been designed by Goody Clancy. Lee Kennedy Co. is the project construction manager; with project management support provided by PMA Consultants.

How do I book a space in the HELV?  

For the Fall 2024 semester HELV spaces will be reservable in EMS.  

When will the Village Coffee House be open?  

Full schedule for Fall 2024 will be available here.

Is construction complete for Phase One?  

Yes, however some small projects are being completed this Spring within the building. Immediately after commencement Woodside Residence Hall and One Snyder Drive construction project work will begin. This work is expected to last until the start of the Fall 2024 semester.  Additional updates will be made available.  

How can I learn more about the HELV and programming? 

Follow @BabsonHELV on Instagram to be updated on any new events and programing. 

I have further questions.

Please reach out anytime to AskELV@babson.edu with any questions or concerns.

Additionally, this FAQ will be updated throughout the construction process.

Learn More About Babson

Dive deeper into Babson’s more than 100-year history of entrepreneurship education, plus see where we’re heading next.