UC Professor will teach classes on the Saint Ursula Campus, Program made possible by generous $500,000 donation

The Carl H. Lindner College of Business and Saint Ursula Academy (SUA) have formed a new initiative to supply SUA students with college-level coursework in entrepreneurship and the opportunity to earn College Credit Plus (CCP) credits. 

The RDI Entrepreneurship Program at Saint Ursula Academy will be offered to SUA juniors and seniors beginning in fall 2024. The program will feature Essentials of Entrepreneurship, a CCP course taught by a Lindner faculty member on-site at SUA. 

“We value our partnership with Saint Ursula Academy, which is fueled by our shared passion for developing rising women leaders,” said Lindner dean Marianne Lewis, PhD. “This innovative initiative amplifies our collaboration with a focus on entrepreneurship, a vital engine of opportunity for students’ careers and for our economy. The partnership is also another example of our faculty’s real-world impact.” 

Program participants, including those who do not enroll in the entrepreneurship course, will have the opportunity to engage with UC’s Center for Entrepreneurship, as well as Lindner co-curricular activities concentrated on uplifting women in business and women in entrepreneurship. Activities include business pitch competitions, venture capital programming, Lindner Women in Business’ Empowerment Day, Lindner Summer Institute, as well as access to Lindner and UC alumni, UC Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, and Center for Entrepreneurship student mentors. 

​Saint Ursula Academy’s portion of the program was made possible by a funding gift from locally based RDI Corporation, an IT and contact center provider with close family ties to Saint Ursula. 

“This new partnership gives students at Saint Ursula a collegiate-level experience in a subject that can open many doors in the future,” said SUA President Lelia Keefe Kramer. “We are grateful to Lindner and UC for thinking outside of the box with us, and to the people of RDI for the generous gift that made all this possible.”

Lindner and SUA are each dedicated to empowering their female students as the next generation of business problem solvers. 

“For more than 110 years, Saint Ursula has led the way in innovation for girls’ high school education,” said SUA Principal Kathy Restle. “We are always striving to stay at the forefront of girls’ education and are excited to offer this new course that will provide many advantages to our students.”

Caption: SUA Principal Kathy Restle, Women in Business Student Leaders Caroline Reinhart '26, Mica Kissing '26, and Audrey Darwish '26, SUA President Lelia Keefe Kramer