More than 200 alumni are expected to return to campus April 16-17 for Entrepreneurship@Cornell's Celebration 2009.

The event is the milestone annual entrepreneurship event on campus, bringing together more than 500 students, alumni, faculty and staff. With 11 Cornell schools, colleges and programs participating, this year's event is expected to be the most collaborative and comprehensive yet.

"The continuing expansion of this event and of the excitement that surrounds it is a testimony to the growing strength of the entrepreneurial spirit among students, alumni, faculty and staff," said John Jaquette, executive director of Entrepreneurship@Cornell. "Just a quick review of all the opportunities to learn and engage with others with similar interests during the two days makes it clear why there has been such a strong response to Celebration '09."

The event will honor the 2009 Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year, Jay Walker '77, founder of Priceline.com and chairman of Walker Digital, a privately held research and development lab based in Stamford, Conn. Walker Digital has invented hundreds of solutions for many different kinds of business problems in 15 different industries. Currently, Walker is leading a team that launched the world's leading Web site for English-language learning -- yappr.com.

Walker will deliver a keynote address, "Org Dot Com," at 4:30 p.m., April 16, in Statler Auditorium. Walker will discuss how entrepreneurs attracted to public service believe they need to make a choice between the worlds of for-profit and nonprofit. He will share how entrepreneurs can transcend the view that these two paths are mutually exclusive and show how digital networks make it possible to create a new entrepreneurial model that enables the potential of large-scale commercial success while also addressing global problems.

Walker will be honored 7-9 p.m., April 16, at the Celebration Banquet, hosted by President David J. Skorton with introductory remarks by Thomas P. DiNapoli, New York state comptroller.

Other highlights of the two-day event include:

• Symposia from 11 groups, focusing on entrepreneurship in various disciplines including venture capital, real estate, health services, computer sciences, regional economic development, hospitality, energy and social networking, among others.
• The final stages of three business idea contests -- the Big Idea Competition for undergraduates, which offers a track featuring for-profit businesses and another track for social entrepreneurship ventures; the Cornell Venture Challenge, sponsored by the Johnson School and BR Ventures; and the Hotel School's Bottled Water Competition.
• A Technology, Business and Resource Expo, featuring more than 50 student and faculty businesses, resources for entrepreneurs, community businesses and campus groups and organizations focused on entrepreneurship.
• The SustaInvest Portfolio Pitch Competition, challenging students to propose and defend a mock portfolio of sustainable investments worth $100,000.
• A new business and emerging technologies showcase from the Cornell Center for Technology, Enterprise and Commercialization, featuring promising Cornell technologies.
• A Cornell Entrepreneur Network event featuring Harris Rosen '61, president and chief operating officer of Rosen Hotels and Resorts Inc., the largest independent hotel company in Florida.

To learn more about Celebration 2009 or sign up online, visit the Web site at http://www.eship.cornell.edu/events/celebration09.

Kathy Hovis is a writer/editor for Entrepreneurship@Cornell.