Priorities:Tennessee Technological University Student Priorities

Overview

Tennessee Tech has the potential to become a top school for innovation. Its campus is filled with students who care about and want to solve real problems. Its also filled with a faculty that is doing a variety of research, some faculty members are even taking their research to market.

Below are some goals that should be implemented in order to take Tennessee Tech to the next level in regard to innovation and entrepreneurship. It is split up into two main tasks that are made up of 3 parts.

Strategy 1.

More Co-Curricular Opportunities for Students to Spread Innovation and Entrepreneurship

This would allow students to focus on the fourteen grand global challenges presented by the NAE and develop their own solutions to these challenges as they receiving their education from the university. Now that the student body is being educated about innovation and entrepreneurship, it is time to focus on the freshman students as well as the incoming freshman of classes to come. I feel this can be achieved by starting a chapter of the NAE: Grand Challenge Scholars Program.

Tactic 1.

Ask university faculty for their support to gain traction. The university will need to define its requirements for students that will participate in this program.

Tactic 2.

Once the university has defined its goal for the program it should educate its student body on the required curriculum that the university has outlined to complete the program. Completing steps one and two may take anywhere from a few weeks to a month.

Tactic 3.

After defining a set curriculum the university must now find a way to draw students to participate in the program. Students will first need to know of the program and see what the benefits of participating in the program will be. This could also take about a month to complete.

Tactic 4.

Send the defined curriculum to the NAE for review and approval. This should take about six weeks. During this time students should be spreading the word of the program to all colleges on campus and meeting to discuss what focus area they wish to participate in.

Tactic 5.

Once approved, the university needs to utilize spaces on campus that promote innovation and entrepreneurship such as the IDLI Maker Space and the College of Business’ Media Center. Educating freshman and other new students of the location of these areas is paramount. New students will most likely not go there if they are not first informed of the opportunities set up for them there. This will go along with the promotion of the program.

Tactic 6.

Start the program on campus. The university should document and promote the inaugural scholars in the program. Their successes will draw other students to the program and help it gain traction across all colleges and disciplines on campus. This whole process should take about three to four months. Hopefully, this task will be completed by Fall of 2015.

Task 1.

The first task is to make the student body more interested in I&E. 

Step 1.

The first step is gathering the students together. This will be done by creating an organization or club that will serve as a place for innovative people to meet and discuss. This will be what brings everyone together to work on the same goal. It will also serve to create an atmosphere of entrepreneurship so that students will have a place where they can talk about their ideas and find people to join their teams.

Step 2.

The next step is to make the students stick around by making it valuable. This will be done by hosting more events and speakers. Things like Tedx can really inspire the students in ways that just bringing them together in the same room can't. With more experiences like this, students will decide to take a bigger part in the organization and be more inspired as well.

Step 3.

The final step is to give the students more personal skills in I&E. This will make the picture clearer and give them a better understanding of what I&E is. We will host workshops that give students the skills they need to go from having an idea to making it a reality.

Task 2.

The second task will focus more on giving students the ability to pursue I&E. Once they are interested, this will give them the opportunity to really go after it.

Step 1.

The first step will be to create more classes that focus on I&E. This will eventually lead to an I&E concentration, something like a minor. We are already offering a brand new class this summer that will put students in teams and offer them the chance to learn about designing a product for a market. As more classes like this are integrated into the curriculum, I hope to be the first student to graduate with a Chemical Engineering degree with a minor in I&E.

Step 2.

The next step is to introduce students to the Biz Foundry on campus. This is a local accelerator and is a great place for people to go if they have a business idea or if they just need business advice. Not many people on campus know about this place, so it will be an important project to get the word out so student can take advantage of the opportunity.

Step 3.

The final step is to create a maker space. Something similar to the d.school we visited at Stanford. Students need a place to go and work on their ideas, ideally while surrounded by students who are doing the same. We are breaking ground this summer, and the faculty has stated that we should have this space constructed by Fall Semester 2014. This will be a room filled with materials, 3D printers, and high-end software that any student can use.

Conclusion

The most important part of advancing the campus is to uplift the students first. By making them interested, and then giving them the opportunity to act on that interest, Tennessee Tech will become an amazing place for innovation.

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Tennessee Technological University