The course syllabus for Social Entrepreneurs, Innovators and Problem Solvers, offered by Cornell's Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, has been named one of the top 10 most rigorous and innovative in its field by Ashoka, a global association of social entrepreneurs.

Anke Wessels, course instructor and the executive director of the Center for Transformative Action at Cornell, received the award Feb. 27 at Duke University.

Wessels' winning syllabus, which will be featured in the "Ashoka U Curriculum and Teaching Resource Guide," was singled out for helping students connect their passions to social entrepreneurship and build the key skills and mindsets of social entrepreneurs.

Earning special mention by the reviewers was the course's personal portfolio requirement, where students learn what motivates them and helps them identify their hopes, dreams, visions and plans for transforming themselves and the world. Students then develop a "Big Idea for Social Change" and gain hands-on experience by working in teams with a local social entrepreneur on a specific project.

Wessels' course is an important component of the Dyson School's undergraduate specialization in entrepreneurship as well as the universitywide Entrepreneurship@Cornell program.