View source for Resource:How to Create an Innovation Community with Rapid Campus Turnover

<span id="docs-internal-guid-c0e8b669-5172-c625-e06a-7cea7f793c55"><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">Background</span></span>

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap; line-height: 1.15; background-color: transparent;">Though fostering an entrepreneurial spirit can be a challenge on any campus, it is especially trying at universities with “rapid campus turnover.” In the traditional sense, rapid campus turnover is the process by which students cycle through periods of classes on campus and internships and co-ops off campus. For example, at Kettering University, students are divided into two cohorts, Group A and Group B. Over periods of about 3 months, Group A attends class while Group B undergoes experiential learning in the workforce, and then the two groups switch with B attending class and A in co-ops.</span>

<span id="docs-internal-guid-c0e8b669-5172-c625-e06a-7cea7f793c55"><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">In a less traditional sense but one that is more applicable to most universities, “rapid campus turnover” can also include universities in which a significant number of students study abroad or take a semester or year off. The underlying problems remain the same: How do you create an innovation community with a student body that constantly fluctuates? How do you sustain an entrepreneurial spirit when students are being trained to enter the workforce? Will students invest time and interest in projects when they know they will be leaving their work behind for internships, co-ops, and study abroad programs?</span></span>



<span id="docs-internal-guid-c0e8b669-5172-c625-e06a-7cea7f793c55"><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">Example: Kettering University &nbsp;</span></span>

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap; line-height: 1.15; background-color: transparent;">[http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/Hunter_Casbeer Hunter Casbeer], a Spring 2014 cohort University Innovation Fellow, detailed his experience creating an innovation community at Kettering University. Kettering University is a small institution in Flint, MI. Also known at the “GM Institute,” Kettering can be characterized by its unique co-op program and rapid campus turnover. Though the small size and co-op program create hands-on experience for students and result in high employment rates of graduates, this set-up can be a hindrance to innovation on campus. Hunter noted that he finds it easier to “try out ideas” in the small-university setting but more difficult to “get programs implemented.” Additionally, many students are focussed on their heavy course loads and upcoming internships, which impedes enthusiasm for entrepreneurship.</span>

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap; line-height: 1.15; background-color: transparent;">At Kettering, Hunter started small with the belief that interest in entrepreneurship would snowball if students were to be given opportunities to create and innovate. These opportunities came in the form of an Innovation Quest, a competition held at Campus Center each Wednesday in which students are given a challenge that will get them thinking. An example of a past event is a challenge to create a parachute that keeps something from breaking when it falls off a roof. A simple, low-cost program like this involves 30-40 students each week, which is 5% of the students on campus. From this growing base of students committed to innovation, Hunter envisioned the “T-Space” where students would be able to experiment with their ideas. “T” stands for “Think, Tinker, Thrive,” and that is exactly what Hunter hopes students will be able to achieve. With support from the president of the university, the innovation space is open to student use and continues to be developed and improved.</span>



<span id="docs-internal-guid-c0e8b669-5172-c625-e06a-7cea7f793c55"><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">How-To Guide</span></span>

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap; line-height: 1.15; background-color: transparent;">The following section outlines the major recommendations for creating an innovation community at a university challenged by rapid turnover or any lack of innovative spirit amidst the student body.</span>

<span id="docs-internal-guid-c0e8b669-5172-c625-e06a-7cea7f793c55"><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">1. </span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">Start Small</span></span>

<span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">One of the most important lessons from the Kettering University experience is that it does not take a million dollar grant or a new building to foster innovation on campus. Instead, it is recommended that student leaders </span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">start small</span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">. Ordering pizza and gathering a couple dozen people in an existing space to share ideas and complete challenges is great way to start. Students will know that when they return from a few months away from campus, they can still plan to meet with a group that one night a week. From this weekly program, you will likely identify students like yourself who are passionate about entrepreneurship and can build a team of student leaders.</span>

<span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">2. </span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">Recognize your Achievements</span>

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap; line-height: 1.15; background-color: transparent;">Students can often become frustrated when they do not see the fruits of their efforts; however, it is important to recognize that any effort to create an innovative community is a step in the right direction. For Hunter, this recognition was that the 30-40 students who attend the Innovation Quest may not be a large number but represents 5% of the students on campus, a significant achievement.</span>

<span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">3. </span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">Partner with Administrators</span>

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">Unfortunately, many students are of the mentality that the student-administration relationship is “us vs them.” Hunter’s experience showed the opposite to be true. Often, students and administrators have similar goals in mind, but there may be disagreement over how to achieve those goals. Open communication with administrators can be mutually beneficial. Seek out a faculty advisor; set up a meeting with an administrator to discover common goals; share your concerns and ideas.</span>

<span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">4. </span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">Be the Consistency</span>

<span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">The primary obstacle associated with rapid campus turnover is a lack of consistency in the student body and its leadership. This challenge can be overcome by dedicating yourself and your programming to </span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">being the consistency</span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">. In other words, make sure there is continuity and sustainability in what you offer to students because the effort that went into creating interest is lost if the club, organization, or creation space “takes a break” while you are studying abroad or at an internship.</span>

<span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">5. </span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">Challenge Tradition</span>

<span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">At Kettering, the status quo is the understanding that students will complete co-ops alongside their coursework and will have a job waiting for them upon graduation. A similar trend can be found at universities nationwide. Part of your job an a student innovator is to overcome and even </span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">challenge tradition</span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: transparent;">and the status quo. Challenge students to pursue their ideas, to take a multidisciplinary approach, to question the norms. When students begin to see examples of success beyond the status quo, they too will be taken by the movement toward innovation.</span>