Entrepreneurship, both in commercial and social enterprise development, has become an essential component in sustaining thriving communities in the region. An expanded dedication to entrepreneurship can open up economic opportunities while simultaneously furthering the educational missions of colleges and universities by promoting a scholarship of relevance. Today higher education plays an increasingly active role in many local and regional economies. This brief addresses how a focus on entrepreneurship can result in a more engaged academy, more relevant scholarship, and a more vigorous and competitive economy. [This material is based upon work supported by annual base funding through the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture.]