Tony Luppino, UMKC Rubey M. Hulen Professor of Law and Director of the Law School’s Entrepreneurship Programs was recognized with the first UM System Entrepreneurship Education of the Year award on Friday, Feb. 3, during the inaugural UM System Entrepreneurial Educators Summit in Columbia, MO. The award recognizes his distinguished activity in developing and nurturing entrepreneurs.
More than 50 educators from around the state met at the Summit to collaborate on best practices for teaching entrepreneurship, brainstorm new approaches and learn what resources are available at the system level.
Bob Schwartz, Vice President for Academic Affairs, presented the award to Luppino.
“By cultivating entrepreneurs who contribute to this crucial part of our mission, Professor Luppino represents everything an entrepreneurship educator should be and his many contributions illustrate the very reason we created this recognition,” Schwartz said.
Judges for the award were Dr. Rebecca White of the University of Tampa and Dr. Carlos Kemeny of the University of Texas System. They noted that Luppino is a well-rounded educator and has been a leader in integrating entrepreneurship and law. They appreciated his teaching, mentoring, research and service to the discipline, as well as his national service to the profession.
Luppino is thrilled to receive the first Entrepreneurial Educator Award and grateful to the many colleagues at UMKC and across the UM System with whom he’s had the pleasure of collaborating on entrepreneurship endeavors. In receiving the award he gave special thanks to Law School Professor (and former Dean) Ellen Suni for her tremendous support, guidance and active participation in the development and implementation of the Law School’s law, innovation and entrepreneurship programs and related cross-campus initiatives .
“Through the University’s strong and interdisciplinary commitment to entrepreneurship, we are well-positioned to have positive impacts on entrepreneurial success of various types, by students, faculty, and others, that benefit economic development and job creation, and provide creative solutions to societal problems and challenges in our communities, across Missouri, nationally and internationally,” he said.
Luppino joined the UMKC School of Law faculty in 2001. He also serves as a senior fellow in the cross-campus Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Prior to UMKC, Luppino practiced multiple areas of law including transactions, business and tax planning. At UMKC, he has produced a comprehensive set of programs at the intersections of law and entrepreneurship. In addition to teaching a full load of upper-level business, business-planning and tax law courses at the Law School, Luppino has also created or co-created and participates in several interdisciplinary courses, including Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation; Special Projects in Law, Technology & Public Policy; and most recently, Entrepreneurial Urban Development. As a scholar of entrepreneurship, Luppino has published numerous articles, books, essays, papers and reports on the discipline.