Kent State University College of Business Administration to Hold Michael D. Solomon Speaker Series

KENT, Ohio - March 14, 2016 - PRLog -- M.R. Rangaswami, co-founder and chief executive officer of Sand Hill Group, will present his presentation "The Nexus of Entrepreneurship, Mentorship and Philanthropy" as part of the Kent State College of Business Administration's Michael D. Solomon Entrepreneurship Speaker Series on March 31.

M.R. Rangaswami graduated from the College of Business Administration in 1978 with a Master in Business Administration. He is a software business expert and participated in the rapid expansion of the Silicon Valley tech-industry during his tenure as an executive at both large and small software companies. In 1997, he co-founded Sand Hill Group, one of the earliest "angel" investment firms and he was featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. Rangaswami was also listed on the Forbes "Midas" list of investors.  Plus, in 2015 he was named to the inaugural list of 100 most influential leaders by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Additionally, he is the founder of the Corporate Eco Forum, an invitation-only membership organization for Global 500 companies that demonstrate commitment to the environment and business strategy issues. Rangaswami founded the non-profit Indiaspora in 2012 to unite Indian Americans and transform their success into meaningful impact worldwide. In 2013, Indiaspora hosted its first Indian American Ball for a United States president. The event had 1,200 attendees who joined politicians and policy makers to celebrate the accomplishments of the Indian American community.

"M.R.'s diligent and brilliant entrepreneurship has truly made the world a better place," said Cathy DuBois, associate dean for administration at the Kent State College of Business Administration. "He has fostered the startup of many successful businesses, facilitated significant contributions to environmental sustainability among fortune 50 companies and nurtured Indian-American cultural transitions and relations. We are so proud of the breadth and depth of his work and honored by his presence at this event."

The Michael D. Solomon Entrepreneurship Speaker Series brings experienced entrepreneurs and educators to campus each semester to share professional insights and wisdom with students and community members. This endowed program is supported by the Kent State College of Business Administration alumnus Michael D. Solomon. The series held its first lecture in May 2008.

The lecture is free and open to the public and will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Kent State Hotel and Conference Center.

Limited seating is available. To register, visit https://cobamarketing.wufoo.com/forms/z48lavz08yvffe/ or contact Steven Dennis at sdenni14@kent.edu.

For more information on the Michael D. Solomon Speaker Series, visit http://business.kent.edu/events/michael-solomon-speaker-series.

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Kent State University's College of Business Administration is fully accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB) and one of the largest colleges of business in Ohio.  The College has more than 4,300 students representing 50 countries with over 106 full-time faculty from 16 countries.

The college grants undergraduate through graduate degrees, and is one of only three public colleges in Ohio with a comprehensive Ph.D. program.  The MBA program is offered with nine concentrations and five dual degree options. The Executive MBA program offer two tracks: one targeting corporate professionals and the other healthcare executives.  The M.S. in Accounting and M.A. in Economics are specialized master's degrees for those seeking advanced study in these disciplines.  The college boasts nine undergraduate majors, 12 minors and a Professional Sales Certificate program.

The college is listed as a Best Business School by Princeton Review, ranked as a Best Business College by U.S. News and World Report, one of only 23 accounting programs worldwide to be endorsed by the IMA (Institute of Management Accountants), ranked Top-Tier for Executive Education in North America by CEO Magazine and ranked fourth by the SEF (Sales Education Foundation) in Ohio for Professional Sales Education.

The college boasts an onsite Career Services Center and International Programs Office dedicated to business students, and operates the Global Management Center, the Center for Information Systems and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation all propelling scholarly research, establishing innovative industry partnerships and providing outreach to Northeast Ohio and beyond.

Media Contacts:

Michelle Manning, Director of Marketing Communications, mparris3@kent.edu, 330-672-2717

Paige Shiplett, Marketing and Communications Specialist, pshiplet@kent.edu, 330-672-1279