Delegates from Burton D. Morgan Foundation and NEOLaunchNET member schools were on hand for the ribbon cutting on Wednesday afternoon. Pictured from L to R (Tom Bonda, Deborah Hoover, Dr. Michael D. Johnson, and Dr. Doan Winkel) John Carroll announced on Wednesday afternoon that the University has joined the network of institutions which comprise NEOLaunchNET, a regional initiative which seeks to inspire a culture of innovation on college and university campuses. JCU joins Baldwin Wallace University, Case Western Reserve University, Kent State University, and Lorain County Community College as members of NEOLaunchNET. Through the support of LaunchNET, JCU entrepreneurship students will benefit from a multitude of opportunities, including coaching, mentoring, special programming, and more. “Entrepreneurship is a key cornerstone of our distinctive programs, and we are thrilled to partner with organizations like the Burton D. Morgan Foundation,” said Michael D. Johnson, Ph.D., president of John Carroll University. “LaunchNET’s mission of inspiring innovation directly connects to our Jesuit Catholic mission and heritage.” Delegates from the Burton D. Morgan Foundation and the four other LaunchNET institutions in Northeast Ohio were in attendance in the Burton D. Morgan Classroom inside Grasselli Library & Breen Learning Center on John Carroll’s campus. "We have enjoyed a long history of supporting entrepreneurship programming on the John Carroll University campus,” said Deborah Hoover, the president and CEO of Burton D. Morgan Foundation. “JCU leadership has always demonstrated tenacity and creativity in developing innovative programs and we are delighted to be able to support this new chapter with the opening of LaunchNET with JCU. We can't wait to see the ventures generated." Dr. Johnson believes that the environment is right for continued fostering of entrepreneurship at JCU. "The service-learning component is key to entrepreneurship,” he said. “When someone gets a theory in the classroom and actually practices doing something in real time in a service-learning context, you are connecting theory to practice. That is where a lot of entrepreneurs are born." Founded in 1967, Burton D. Morgan Foundation serves as a tireless advocate and champion for the entrepreneurial spirit in Northeast Ohio. Since its inception in 2012, the NEOLaunchNET program has impacted more than 4,100 student participants, who have explored more than 3,000 ventures.