Priorities:North Dakota State University Student Priorities

Overview

The Innovation and Entrepreneurship ecosystem at North Dakota State University could best be described as being in an incubation state. A workable amount of resources are present, with a number of key resources, tools, and programs at various stages of planning and implementation that will allow the campus environment to flourish.

There are a number of positive aspects to the campus that students can make use of. 

Tactic #2: Intellectual Property Management

• Description: The author requests that you note the use of 'management' vs. 'protection.' Currently, there is little understanding amongst students that work they do that utilizes 'significant university resources' qualifies as university property. The native stance of the IP management system here is to protect all IP generated, not tomanage and distribute it. We hope that, by working with the Tech Transfer Office and university higher-ups, a more transparent system can be developed... one that can be explained to students quickly and efficiently. Most importantly, the delivery system for getting the knowledge to students has to be structured in such a manner that it doesn't scare them off!  Barring the ability to get the TTO more involved in proactively assisting with student IP, we at least hope to provide students with a seminar, guide, etc... on what exactly the relationship between them, their work, and the university actually is.
• Team Leader:: TBD
• Milestones:

1. Meetings with the TTO to review the NDSU IP policy in detail. Schedule: Early December '13.
2. Suggested ideas for revision, focusing on transparency and clarity in wording. Schedule: Early January '14.
3. Distill as much knowledge as possible into a pamphlet form- chosen because it is simple to both distribute and process as a reader. Schedule: TBD- Spring semester '14
4. Arrange for seminars, bootcamps, etc... to be held educating students on IP, focusing on the relationship between them, their work, and NDSU. Schedule: TBD- Fall semester '14 (no time to organize until then)

Tactic #3: Creation of a streamlined program to START BUSINESSES!

• Description With this tactic, we're going to work closely with the NDSU research park and Tech Transfer Office to establish as best we can a formal step-by-step process for entreprenuers looking to start a business and/or license their own IP back from the university. Note that the point here is not to constrain but to assist. The purpose of the formal system is to allow rails for the students to follow along their journey- right now there is nothing in place to assist students in the early or middle stages of planning, for example. Late stage business-founding can be handled by the Research Incubator... but how do you know to contact them? That's precisely what we're going to fix. At the very least, this tactic will produce a flow chart of steps, people, and processes that have been succesful in the past for starting businesses at NDSU.
• Team Leader: TBD
• Milestones:

1. Meeting with boots on the ground at as many levels of business development as possible- as they relate to students on campus. Schedule: now-August 2014.
2. Establishing a rough chart for 'how and who' an idea progresses through the pipeline and who can assist with each step. Schedule: summer '14-January 2015.
3. Formally launching a 'fast track to business creation' (name definitely not final!) program, or at least being able to feature it as one of the services of the I-space. Schedule: Spring semester 2015. Reason: The fulfillment of this tactic requires that almost every other tactic listed thus far be fairly well completed before it can be done. This is also one of the more ambitious tactics in play, banking on the success of the I-space and cooperation between multiple departments.

Strategy #3: Creating a More Applied, Hands on, Undergraduate Experience

2-3 year period:

Tactic #1:Hit the Ground Running- Student Driven Experience.

• Description: The sooner students realize that the faster they can get involved with the campus, potential employers, real world work and experience the more excited they will be about taking the bull by the horns to steer their desires in whichever way they want them to go. Many students dreaded the way their high school educations were conducted. In high school lots of people say, "When am I ever going to use this stuff?" Now is time! Unforetunately, many freshman students have no clue what they want to do with their lives, and others just need to follow the directions to the map they have made in their heads (minority of students). The catering to these "undecided" students is essential to change the mindset of what it is to experience college. (Not just going to parties) The basis of this tactic is to empower students to actively seek hands on skills in their choosen career path. This maybe in the form of jobs, volunteering, clubs, and other outgoing groups.
• Team Leaders: UNIV 189 professors? Dorm RAs? People responsible for scheduling motivational speakers (Specifically for college students)? I placed question marks behind each of these leaders because this is just what comes to mind of people who would be able to aid in this tactic. Possibly more.
• Milestones:
  • Support from potential team leaders
  • Actually getting students to go to speakers, be active in clubs, take internships, and learn what they want to learn outside of the traditional classroom.
  • Students pressure higher-ups of the university to cater to their educational wants.
  • University and individual colleges alter ciriculums
  • Entire college culture is changed from "Partying" to "Let's do something for ourselves along with the world"

Tactic #2: Classroom Driven Experience (Science Student Perspective)

• Description: Use critical thinking and problem solving educational tactics along with or after a  traditional lecture class and lab is complete. Labs are where these problem solving strategies can be applied more. An additional lab course should be available that adhears to more of using what they learned in that lab and lecture in a more investigative/problem solving way. This critical thinking experience would come after the student has complete the previous course.The class would be structured around what I would say as mini-research experiments. The students would use previous knowledge to help guide themselves into theories and hypothesies of what they believe could be the answer to whatever they are working on. Then they would carry out experiments to tests these ideas. -A very rough outline on how the class would be structured.
• Team Leaders: Jordan Brummond, I have heard rumors of similiar sounding classes that will be starting up soon in my department by - Janice Haggart. I also believe Dr. Angela Hodgson is in her second year of a similiar class.
• Milestones:
  • Curriculum Assesments
  • Find evidence that students who take this class are more succesful academically/professionally and provide it to the masses- Brings hype to the class
  • Integrate into regular ciriculum
  • Faculty support from multiple departments
  • Development of similiar courses in other departments

Tactic #3: Mentor DrivenExperience

• Description: Having outside entrepreneurs, businesses, or research professors "take in" students as mentees/apprentices/interns. A good comparison would be like a "Big Brother, Big Sister" for students with drive and passion to get right out into the real world while they work on their degrees.
• Team Leaders: TBD
• Milestones:
  • Small number of mentors ready to pave the way
  • Incorporate into already existing career fair
  • More mentors view it as a recruitment tool to attrack the best and brightest
  • "Career fair" specifically as the recruitment tool
  • Students rewarded for their work other than the experience
  • Succes stories as a recruitment tool for both students and new mentors

Strategy #4 Opening up Lab spaces for all Engineering Majors

Students need a work to develop their ideas. The college of Engineering has a number of labs with space, materials and equipment to further these ideas but they are not open to all NDSU students and even other Engineering students. The only way to get into many of the labs is to go in during business hours and be of that particular major. Allowing any Engineering student to access these labs would help provide a starter innovation space and show need for one in the future.

Tactic #1- Develop more connections between various engineering majors (Senior Design, ect) to encourage students not as far in the program to begin working in other labs from an earlier date

Description- Form bonds between all majors under the College of Engineering

Team Leaders

• Univ 189 Professors
• Academic Advisors
• Senior Design Adviors

Milestones

• Convince the Dean of Engineering and department heads that it is beneficial to get outside of their specific major
• Form more interdisciplinary senior designs
• Develop strong ties between majors

Tactic #2 Open up Computer Labs for all majors

Description- Allow key card access to all engineering computer labs by all engineering students

Team Leaders

• Lab Instructors
• IT Department
• UIF Students

Milestones

• Gain computer lab access

Tactic #3 Open up Technical Labs for all majors

Decription- Open technical labs like the IME, ME, EE, AG, and other labs so any Engineering major can enter them

Team Leaders

• Lab Instructors
• Department Heads
• UIF Students
• Students

Milestones

• Allow students to work in labs during business hours (8-5)
• Look into getting off hours lab space for weeknights and weekends for students to get into the current lab

University Wide Involvement Whitepages

There is a large number of organizations on and off campus that are beneficial to innovation and entrepreneaurship. NDSU overhauled its organization database recently but it is not all inclusive the and search button does not work like it should. The other issue is that it does not tie into the community. The Fargo/Moorhead area has a strong I&E culture but there is no easy way for students to search and see what is available. 

Tactic #1-Pull together resources on campus

Goal-Create a wiki-based whitepage style repository of all innovative and entreprenearistic events on campus and in the community. 

Tactic- Create a wiki page for the university organizations

Tactic- Compile a list of current on campus activities and allow students to add or edit activites as needed

Taking a Step Back...

The best opportunities for entrepreneurship and innovation mean nothing if people aren't involved. We feel that to create a community of entrepreneurs we have to first create a community where people can just be people. That is why one of our main priorities is to bring an organization to campus that will host events where all expectations to be innovative or have creative ideas are eliminated. It's called the Hammock Initiative, or Hi for short and its vision is simple.

We want to see people gathered together for the purpose of relaxing, enjoying each other’s company and, literally, hanging out. This vision may not sound audacious or ambitious, and that’s the point. It’s an opportunity for people to be, not do. - @HiFargo

By getting people together to hammock for the sake of just being, we believe natural conversation where ideas and innovation are born will start all on their own. And with how busy people are, I think we can all agree that some time set aside to relax is needed. 

University Wide Involvement Whitepages

There is a large number of organizations on and off campus that are beneficial to innovation and entrepreneaurship. NDSU overhauled its organization database recently but it is not all inclusive the and search button does not work like it should. The other issue is that it does not tie into the community. The Fargo/Moorhead area has a strong I&E culture but there is no easy way for students to search and see what is available. 

Goal-Create a wiki-based whitepage style repository of all innovative and entreprenearistic events on campus and in the community. 

Tactic- Create a wiki page for the university organizations

Tactic- Compile a list of current on campus activities and allow students to add or edit activites as needed

Related Links

North Dakota State University

Andrew Dalman