Beau Gumbert

University of Arkansas Spotlight

Founded in 1871 as a land-grant institution, the University of Arkansas is the flagship of the University of Arkansas System. Their 25,000 students represent all 50 states and more than 120 countries. The U of A has ten colleges and schools offering more than 210 academic programs.

The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University as having the highest possible level of research. That honor alone places the University of Arkansas amongst the top 2 percent of colleges and universities nationwide. The Higher Learning Commission accredits the University of Arkansas.

The University of Arkansas has a students-first philosophy that is a big reason the University consistently ranks amongst the nations' top public research universities. The University works hard to ensure a low student to faculty ratio that helps promote plenty of direct attention with a personal touch and mentoring opportunities.

The University of Arkansas boasts a tradition unique among the nation's universities. Starting with the Senior Walk that consists of more than three miles of sidewalks crisscrossing campus that are engraved with the names of more than 150,000 graduates, dating back nearly 140 years. It's concrete proof of the university's commitment to their students.

Beau Gumbert is currently a senior attending the University of Arkansas where he will complete his business degree in Entrepreneur Studies and Marketing. He is slotted to graduate in 2015 and has already launched his real estate company. As a student of business and a deep passion for entrepreneurship, he looks up to great entrepreneurs such as Richard Branson and has studied his career and business principles extensively.

Entrepreneur Spotlight – Richard Branson

If you're living on planet earth, then you will know the name, Richard Branson. Richard is the founder of Virgin Group, which consists of more than 400 companies around the world including Virgin Atlantic, Virgin America, and Virgin Mobile. He is also the author of six books including his latest, Like a Virgin: Secrets They Won't Teach You at Business School.

Richard's big start was in the music industry. His first artist on the Virgin Records label, Mike Oldfield, recorded his single "Tubular Bells" in 1973 with the help of Branson's team. The song's popularity kept it on the UK Charts for 247 weeks. Richard would later sign other aspiring musical groups to the label including the controversial punk band, the Sex Pistols. Artists such as the Culture Club, the Rolling Stones, and Genesis would follow, helping to make Virgin Music one of the top six record companies in the world.

The next entrepreneurial effort for Branson would come in the form of expansion. This expansion included the travel company the Voyager Group in 1980, the airline Virgin Atlantic in 1984, and a series of Virgin Megastores. In recent years, the ever-adventurous Branson has focused much of his attention on his space tourism venture. He partnered with Scaled Composites to form The Spaceship Company, which is currently developing a suborbital spaceplane, and, in April 2013, the project made an impressive leap forward with the test launch of SpaceShipTwo.

Beau Gumbert is a student of business and has compassion for entrepreneurship. He looks up to great entrepreneurs such as Richard Branson and has studied his career and business principles extensively. Currently, Beau is a senior attending the University of Arkansas, where he will complete his business degree in Entrepreneur Studies and Marketing.