Priorities:University of North Alabama Strategic Priorities

Strategic Goals: 

The UNA Fellows Vision: To promote Innovation and Entrepreneurship by integrating, incorporating, and accelerating multidisciplinary programs into our university’s culture. 

The Triple E Mission: Excite and Engage students to Embrace Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Immediate Initiatives: 

Initative #1: Change the Language

While surveying, students informed us that they didn’t believe their majors needed entrepreneurship or innovation, because it wasn’t a business department and they didn’t want to own a business. First, we have to change the verbiage and language to get students to understand that this topic is not only relevant, but absolutely VITAL for their majors, departments, and careers, community and the university.

Terms we researched and will be implementing in our promotion: 

·      Problem Solving

·      Renovation

·      Development

·      Transformation

·      Ambitious

·      Diversification

·      Enlightening

·      Coaching

Initative #2: Inform the Stakeholders

Though the Stakeholder meeting is mandatory, we are using this as the platform to introduce this ENTIRE transformation plan. In fact, we will be asking for partnerships with faculty and staff and the community through this meeting. So far, there are 0 students helping with this endeavour. We are the first, and we must grab the attention of the most powerful people on campus. 

Initative #3: INTERVIEW

After all of this work, we HAVE to get students talking. They won't talk to anybody but us, and we have to find out EXACTLY what they need and want, excite them, and get them to embrace this change. We need promotionals, marketing, giveaways, motivational speaking, clubs, organizations, events...and it all starts with us. 

Long-Term Initiatives:

Intiative #4: Google Talks and Ted Talks

In order to gain more value in the minds of our students, we need exciting and knowledgable events. By hosting a TedTalks, the students would become engaged, the faculty and staff would understand the vitality of implementing innovation and technology in all departments, and UNA would also gain from a rise in education standards and acknowledgement.  

Initiative #5: Workspaces

We struggled mapping out the workspaces available to students 24/7 with the resources to be creative, test ideas, and prototype. Simply, this is unrealistic and unacceptable, especially if we are trying to grow to become more tech savvy. We must provide more workspaces for students to have the power to continually create, research, and design. 

Initiative #6: Grant Writing for Research/Internships/Entrepreneurs

Funding from a regional, state, and federal level is a must in order for us to be successful through this transformation. Technology and advancement is very expensive, and simply, our community is not equipped to pour billions of dollars into our program. We, the students, must use our power to persuade the government and private companies to invest in us, because they will be investing in the future of the state/nation. 

Related Links

University of North Alabama

Universtiy of North Alabama Student Priorities

University Innovation Fellows

Spring 2016:

Abigail Holbert

Nathan Martin

Ryan Mason

Grace Piper