Our History

Thanks to a generous gift provided by the Fifth Third Bank Foundation in May 1999, the Northern Kentucky University College of Business was able to create The Fifth Third Bank Entrepreneurship Institute.

The Fifth Third Bank Entrepreneurship Institute at NKU offers new academic and outreach programs in Entrepreneurship. The Institute is an exciting partnership between the fastest growing banking organization in the tri-state region and the fastest growing university in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

NKU has a singular mission within the Commonwealth of Kentucky as a metropolitan and regional institution: to offer a variety of professional and pre-professional programs that address the educational needs of a large and diverse population.

Through such programs, the University educates students to be productive citizens, to prepare them for success in careers and occupations, and to pursue a commitment to life-long learning. As an educational, cultural, and social center, the University stimulates economic development and fosters the academic, artistic, and personal freedoms vital to a free society. Northern's enrollment is more than 14,000 students, making it the second largest university in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area and third largest in the state of Kentucky.

Fifth Third Bank is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company operates 14 affiliate banks and other financial service subsidiaries principally in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Arizona, Florida, and Michigan. Fifth Third is among the top 30 largest holding companies in the country and among the 15 largest in market capitalization.