Jane Ferguson is the CEO and Founder of Noosphere and visiting lecturer on the history of entrepreneurship at Princeton University. An award-winning writer and broadcaster, Ferguson previously spent 15 years as a war reporter, covering the Middle East, Africa and South Asia for PBS and The New Yorker. Her reporting has focused on rare access to insurgent groups, the Arab spring revolutions and wars that followed, and the humanitarian disasters caused by conflict in countries such as Yemen, Somalia and Afghanistan. She has won multiple awards, including an Emmy, Peabody, George Polk, and two duPont Columbia silver batons. Her award-winning memoir, No Ordinary Assignment, was released in 2023 and is a NYTimes Editors Pick. She lives in New York.
What will students be able to take away from your classes?
Students will come away with a deep appreciation for the part entrepreneurship has played throughout human history in shaping societies and civilizations. By looking back, we see the natural propulsion toward entrepreneurial practices for thousands of years, as well as examples of ruling systems' attempts to contain such practices. In doing so, students walk away with a sense of deep context for entrepreneurial practices across various cultures today.
What are your responsibilities at the Keller Center?
I am a visiting lecturer, teaching EGR/ENT 301 on The History of Entrepreneurship.
What attracted you to the Keller Center?
As a guest professor in the Journalism Program for the Fall semester of 2023, I took a class at the Keller Center on Venture Capital. It was wonderful, and I learned so much. I have also met some of the other visiting lecturers and found their real world experience terrific.
What do you appreciate most about the Keller Center?
The faculty all have that real world experience in business, and they also bring wonderful guests to the class as a result from various industries to speak with students.
What advice would you have for students about getting involved at the Keller Center?
Reach out to professors directly to discuss business ideas. They are all ears and have advice that can be incredibly helpful.