The Office of the Provost has announced that Kevin鈥疭teidel, assistant professor of practice in Wittenberg鈥檚 business program and director of the university鈥檚 M.A. in analytics program,鈥痟as been named the new鈥� Robert E. Ness Chair of Entrepreneurship. Endowed chairs are permanently funded positions typically established through gifts from donors to support excellence in teaching and scholarship.
Ohio businessman Robert 鈥淏ob鈥� E. Ness, Wittenberg class of 1963, and wife, Lynn Noble Ness, Wittenberg class of 1964, established the鈥疪obert E. Ness Endowed Chair鈥痠n Entrepreneurship鈥痠n 2008 with a $1.5 million leadership gift.鈥� A member of Wittenberg鈥檚 Board of Directors, Bob Ness previously served as chairman and CEO of the Columbus-based ODW Logistics, which is now owned and managed by his son, John Ness, Wittenberg class of 1996.
The Ness Chair enables the university to extend its commitment to developing well-rounded, out-of-the-box thinkers, who cannot only paint a vision and design the path to achieve it, but also inspire countless others along the way. The Ness Chair in Entrepreneurship has also continued to enrich university programs designed to prepare the next generation of business leaders.
鈥淭hrough Bob and Lynn鈥檚 generosity 11 years ago, students pursuing business careers at Wittenberg have had access to cutting-edge research, industry innovations, and remarkable entrepreneurial thinking through the holder of this endowed chair,鈥� said Wittenberg President Michael L. Frandsen. 鈥淚 am confident that tradition of excellence will continue under Kevin鈥檚 leadership as our new Ness Chair, and I am grateful that Bob and Lynn鈥檚 vision in this field continues to inspire students and faculty alike at their family鈥檚 alma mater.鈥�
Teaching in the areas of entrepreneurship, marketing, research methods, and analytics at Wittenberg, Steidel has introduced students to the business and entrepreneurship programs at an early stage in their educational careers through his work with the university鈥檚 First-Year Seminar program.
Bringing authenticity to the entrepreneurship program, Steidel himself began four start-up businesses. His first business was a direct-mail product firm, but he quickly expanded to develop an online portal and established digital consumer profile. He then sold this business to a customer before coming to Wittenberg. He currently sits on the board of directors for three small Ohio businesses and works locally with the Springfield Small Business Development Council (SBDC).
Steidel and Heath Queen, coordinator for engaged learning at Wittenberg, have also directed the Communications and Business Leadership Experience (CABLE) program the past two years. CABLE is a鈥痯rofessional development opportunity open to鈥疌ommunications and Business majors and minors.鈥疭teidel鈥痑lso directs the master鈥檚 program in analytics and has developed valuable relationships with local companies to send employees through this program.
鈥淜evin鈥痟as been a critical addition to the business program since his arrival in 2015,鈥� said Mary Jo Zembar, interim provost and professor of psychology.鈥�淗is teaching experience in Wittenberg entrepreneurship classes, his willingness and efforts to push for innovative changes to the business curriculum, and his practical experience as an entrepreneur make him an ideal candidate for the鈥疦ess Chair in Entrepreneurship.鈥�
Three years ago, Wittenberg was affirmed as an incubator for start-up success as per Forbes, which ranked the university among the Top 50 Most Entrepreneurial Colleges in the nation. Wittenberg was joined by Middlebury, Vassar, Colby, Smith, Amherst and Villanova in earning this distinction. To learn more about business at Wittenberg, click here.
