Priorities:University of Oregon Student Priorities

Overview

The University of Oregon Innovation and Entrepreneurship landscape canvas has many opportunities. With two very strong programs at the University: Product Design and Entrepreneurship there is tremedous opportunity for cross over, collaboration and joint innovation. The biggest issue: how to integrate two fairly segregated disciplines. Design students excel in the product creation side whereas entrepreneurs tend to excel in implementation: at least as observed at U of O. These two disciplines have alot to offer one another, it is just a matter of getting the right people together. Designers need to create a mindset that the design process does not end at final prototyping, it continues into implimentation. Further, business students can learn alot about the design process, iterative ideation and rapid prototyping. This is my mission as a UIF at University of Oregon. 

Strategy #1: Design and Entrepreneurship Collaboration through Courses and Student Groups

Tactic 1: Interdisciplinary Course in Entreprenuership and Design 

Overview: Given the size of our university, many courses are restricted to students who are declared with a certain major. For example, as a design student I cannot take courses in the business school and the inverse of this is also true. What University of Oregon needs is a couple interdisciplinary courses that combine Entrepreneurship and Design to create interdisciplinary groups of students with diverse skillsets and knowledge. Motions have been set in place through faculty to get this course approved for the University of Oregon. 

Milestones: 

March 2014: Faculty applies to get an entreprenueurship and design course approved for the University of Oregon

April 2014: 2nd Review by Oregon Higher Education Board 

April/May 2014: Student run (Claire Sakaguchi)  focus groups to determine interest levels of the course and what students are seeking to learn 

September 2015: Course is implemented 

September 2016: Given feedback of the first run of the course, it can be altered but is offered repeatedly for interested students. 

Individuals Involved: 

Nathan Lillegard (Director of Entrepreneurship)

Jason Germany (Professor in Product Design)

Tactic 2: 3DS Springboard Event 

Overview: 3DS Springboard is an excellent platform to bring students together across disciplines. This is an opportunity for students to learn the skills of entrepreneurship but apply them to a wide variety of situations, including creating a company, developing an idea or pursuing a student movement or organization. The format is very interactive which allows students to collaborate with individuals of different disciplines. 

Milestones: 

April 2nd: Accepted to the 3DS Springboard program

April 2nd-April 12th: Recruitment across the entire campus through contacting department heads, University executives, student leaders and PR for the University

April 13th: Event begins!

Spring 2014: Determine best and most active participants in the event and target them for being recruiters and promoters in the years to come. 

In order to make this a sustainable event, I will identify key students who participated in the 2014 event and recruit them to help with promotion and organization for 2015, etc 

Tactic 3: Collaboration of Student Groups

Overview: The University of Oregon is pretty well saturated with different student groups. Of course there is tremendous opportunity for cross over, but I see little awareness for what each student group actually does. Further, there is little awareness for some of the needs of the other groups. For example, our Design for America group could really use some of the help of Entrepreneurship Club when we get down to implementation and how to move into the market. 

Milestones: 

Winter 2013: Discussion with Dean of Students at the school of Architecture and Allied Arts to discuss areas of opportunity for awareness of different student groups. 

Spring 2014: Follow up meeting to discuss feasible plans for students to get their student organizations recognized and discussed. 

Spring 2014: Start Narrow- Get Design for America and Industrial Design Society of America more connected with the Entrepreneurship club and establish a relationship between the organizations.

Spring 2014: Continute discussions between DFA, IDSA and EClub

Spring 2014: Establish student leaders who will be on campus next year to sustain and facilitate the relationship. 

Fall 2014: Reestablish communication and discuss methods to get involved in each other's projects. 

Winter 2014: Continue working together and cycle through as needed. 

Strategy #2: Spaces for Innovation, Collaboration and CoCreation 

Tactic 1: Allocating Space

Overview: We are big university and space is a constant demand. One of the challenges I forsee is finding space in a place that makes sense. This is by no means an impossible task, but it will require heavy networking and communication with the right people. On our campus, I think the best way to get innovation, design and entrepreneurship to take place is through finding a maker space! This needs to be a totally communal space that is not allocated to any single discipline. Currently we have our Romania Studio which is off campus and dedicated to senior product design students ONLY. While this is necessary, another space that is similar needs to be available to non-design non-senior students. Groups like Design for America would love to use a space where they could leave up post it notes and work on projects collaboratively. Right now we are always searching for some space to just sit, work, and pack up leave. If we could leave ideation material it may spark interest in other students who come by and use the space as well.

Milestones:

Spring 2014: Network, network, network! Find the right people who are aware of open spaces on campus that could be transformed into a student run maker space. Our Memorial Union is currently being torn down and renovated so there may be an opportunity to include a new maker space in the new architectural plan... 

Spring 2014: Specifically, talk to John Hull (Executive Director of the Business School) to find resources within the business school that could help. 

Spring 2014: Specifically talk to Innovation Partnership Services 

Spring 2014: Talk to people invovled with EMU renovation

Spring 2014: Have faculty and students in place to help with the process after my graduation. 

Spring 2014: Focus groups with students to see what they want

Spring 2014: Potentially do rapid and low fidelity prototypes of what a space could look like and how it could be used. 

Summer 2014: (Hopefully) there is some lead on a space that could be used, if not continue this search. 

Fall 2014: Building out space and begin implementation!

Tactic #2: Allocating Funding

Overview: Another challenge I forsee is funding allocation. I won't need millions of dollars to make this work, just need enough to outfit the space with dry erase boards, pens, markers, materials, etc. 

Milestones: 

Spring 2014: Talk to the right people! Find the right people! 

Spring 2014: Talk to people at Innovation Partnership Services and the execs at the Business School. 

Spring 2014: Potentially reach out to companies that may have an invested interest in sponsoring this sort of project.

Spring 2014: Apply to grants through NCIIA for University Innovation! 

Tactic #3: Creating a Board of Students

Overview: The last challenge I forsee is the safety and protection of the space. I've witnessed many spaces getting abused by students where they get a little comfortable and begin leaving their coffee cups, old work and everything that they don't feel like throwing away. I would hate to have a communal space intended for innovation and creation get trashed by students. I want the space to be very communal and open for use by anyone, but I also think there would need to be some type of monitoring that takes place. This may require getting a board of students that could help run, monitor and control the space. These could be students from all disciplines. Whether or not there will be paid students that will monitor the space is something that will need to be determined as the budget comes in... 

Milestones: 

Spring 2014: Determine a budget (or not...) 

Spring 2014: Identify key students who would be invested in helping see a maker space be successful!

Spring 2014: Identify key needs of the space 

Fall 2014: Begin getting students to use the space, identify how it is being used

Fall 2014: Connect and communicate with students who interested in participating as board members

Fall 2014: Potentially connect IDSA with running this space

Fall 2014: Determine plans for use and sustainability