A Houston-based academic group called out top universities and programs from around the world — including one in Houston and another in Texas — that are excelling in educating future entrepreneurs at the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers Conference last month.

The GCEC is a consortium of more than 250 university entrepreneurship programs that is headquartered at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business, which has been named a top entrepreneurship program itself time and time again.

The group's annual conference was hosted at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in October, and more than 550 member representatives attended, according to a statement from Rice. In addition to talks, break out sessions and collaboration time, 14 universities were awarded top honors at the event.

Houston Community College's entrepreneurial initiatives won in the Excellence in Specialty Entrepreneurship Education category. The office is known for signature programs like its annual business plan competition, which has been running since 2008. It is also home to the Minority Business Development Agency, created by a grant from the Department of Commerce in 2013, and the MBDA Pandemic Recovery Center.

Additionally, the HCC Alief Hayes Campus is in partnership with the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, providing 100 hours of instruction and advising and access to capital and an alumni network.

The Texas A&M University System also won in the Outstanding Contributions to Venture Creation category along with the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota). TAMU was recognized for its TEES DeepTech Ventures program. The hands-on training program operated out of Doha, Qatar last November.

Meanwhile Babson College's Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship and Iowa State University's Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship were awarded the most prestigious honor at the conference. The universities received the The Nasdaq Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence Award. This was the first year that two programs received the award based on student body sizes of less than or more than 5,000 students.

Duncan Moore, a professor at the University of Rochester’s William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration, and Carol Reeves, associate vice provost for entrepreneurship at the University of Arkansas’ Sam M. Walton College of Business, received legacy awards for their contributions to entrepreneurship education.

Other winners included:

• Outstanding Emerging Entrepreneurship Center (schools with less than 5,000 students)
  • Lafayette College, Dyer Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Outstanding Emerging Entrepreneurship Center (schools with more than 5,000 students)
  • James Madison University, Gilliam Center for Entrepreneurship
  • Nova Southeastern University, Alan B. Levan-NSU Broward Center of Innovation
• Exceptional Activities in Entrepreneurship Across Disciplines
  • Northeastern University, Center for Entrepreneurship Education
• Excellence in Entrepreneurship Teaching and Pedagogical Innovation
  • Stanford University, Stanford Technology Ventures Program
• Outstanding Student Engagement & Leadership (schools with less than 5,000 students)
  • London Business School, Institute of Entrepreneurship and Private Capital
• Outstanding Student Engagement & Leadership (schools with more than 5,000 students)
  • Marquette University, 707 Hub
• Exceptional Contributions in Entrepreneurship Research
  • Florida Atlantic University, Adams Center for Entrepreneurship
• GCEC Center of Entrepreneurial Leadership
  • UNLV, Troesh Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation