Organization:Furman on FIRE - Fueling Innovation Research & Entrepreneurship

Furman on FIRE

Fueling Innovation, Creative Research and Entrepreneurship at Furman - a leading liberal arts University. 

Since its founding in 1826, Furman has quipped doers, thinkers and creatives with tools to understand the past, know the present and work towards the development of a better future. Inspired by this rich tradition, how might we fuel a movement of innovation, creative research and entrepreneurship that links the liberal arts and humanities with the sciences to create sustainable solutions for the grand challenges of our times?

A History of Engaged Learning

In 1937, Furman University President Bennette Geer partnered with John D. Rockefeller’s General Educational Board to bring a new form of lifelong learning to the Southeast through the Greenville County Council for Community Development (GCCCD). Inspired by the work of a Columbia University doctoral student, Geer led the university to develop an experimental design for community-centered improvement program that married town and gown in a whole new way. The vision for this initiative was steered by a coalition of faculty and students from Furman’s Sociology, Political Science, and Education Departments and a 24-person “County Council,” that included governmental officials, presidents of service organizations and educational leaders. During this period of Furman's history, teachers used innovative teaching methods that crossed institutional, racial and socioeconomic boundaries to put theory into practice. A course taught on farm mechanics built flues for houses in low-income communities. Agriculture classes visited Clemson University’s model farm and learned to build “hog homes". Other community-based projects included surveys of mill village hygienic facilities and conditions at rural black schools, support for community-wide vaccinations, improved health services, food preservation and lifelong learning (Bainbridge, 2010).

While halted during World War II, it was re-started in 1946 under Greenville City Schools and the Adult Education Division of the State Department of Education. Today, Furman still stands strong as a center for engaged research, creative problem solving and lifelong learning through the efforts of the Herring Center for Continuing Education, the Riley Institute, the Shi Center for Sustainability and a host of other faculty and student-led initiatives.

Inspiration for a Movement

In light of Furman's historical commitment to engaged learning, members of the university community are coming together in new ways to imagine a future where creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship are more than words on a page. Furman's strong focus on undergraduate research, faculty-student relationships and community engagement sets precedence for a movement of thought and action that brings together the disciplines to create experiences that equip students of all ages with the tools for solving the grand challenges of our times. Through this movement, Furman will stand firm its identity as a leading liberal arts institution and give new meaning to engaged learning.

Ecosystem of Assets & Opportunities

When looking towards the existing ecosytem of assets on campus, Furman has a number of existing initiatves that foster innovation and creativity across campus - setting it apart from others that are similar in size. Courses like Entrepreneurship and New Venture Development, Graphic Design, Advertising Design and Design for Social Change lead to the development of venture concepts that are incubator-ready – and in some cases – ready to launch. Faculty-Student research and co-curricular projects stemming from the Shi Center for Sustainability have led to the development of social ventures like the Community Conservation Corps, Mill Village Farms: a network of urban farms that equip underserved youth with farming and entrepreneurial skills, and Good to Go Greenville: a mobile market that provides access to fresh produce in food deserts across the county.

Through the Furman Advantage program, many sophomores, juniors and seniors are engaging in internships that match them with startups and mature companies across sectors allow them to explore their interests in entrepreneurship, design, innovation and technology. In addition, student organizations like Furman Creative Collaborative are planting seeds for a movement of entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity on campus by hosting design thinking workshops and planning events like TEDxFurmanU and 3 Day Startup.

With this said, the infrastructure for Furman's innovation ecosystem leaves plenty of opportunities for growth and development. Few intiatives on campus allow students apply what they are learning through experiential courses that lead to tangible outcomes. In addition, there are no central places on campus for students to access tools, training and support needed to develop new ventures, projects and organizations that make real-world impact. 

While assessing the innovation ecosystem on campus, students pointed towards peers that were creating apps, launching social ventures and starting companies in their dorm rooms. When asked to comment on the entrepreneurial community on campus, these students mentiond that they aren’t surrounded with peers and mentors that can nurture their ideas and grow them to scale. At the same time, students in the art and business department are creating venture concepts for class that are viable and compelling, but need further development. Since students have no place to take their projects after the class ends, many plateau or are terminated due to lack of time, committment and support.  These students mentioned all mentioned that a network of peer collaborators was desired, along with access to working capital, alumni mentors, community partners and dedicated time and space for venture development. Others mentioned that they would like see a start-up incubator, a student venture fund and training programs take root on campus in the years ahead.

At the curricular level, faculty from Earth and Environmental Science, Philosophy, Art, Business and Sustainability Science all expressed interest in integrating concepts related to creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship into their existing courses. Several of these faculty have expressed interest in creating team-taught courses that bring students from different disciplines together to solve real-world problems. In addition, staff members at the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Shi Center for Sustainability mentioned that they would like to work towards the creation of a faculty professional development program to equip professors with strategies, tools and curricular resources for course integration. With this said, faculty and staff alike mentioned that the currrent structure of teaching community leaves them with little time, energy and resouorces to devote to efforts like this. 

A Strategy for Collective Impact

In order to bring these ideas to life and redefine the liberal arts at Furman, a three-fold strategy will be employed.

1) Grassroots Movement: a grassroots movement will be developed to spur interest on campus and equip all members of the university community with the tools for introducing creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation at all levels of university activity. This movement will be facilitated by the University Innovation Fellow and the Fire Circle: an inclusive coalition of faculty, staff and students.

2) Strategic Vision: a Strategic Project on Innovation and Creativity will be created by the coalition to set an agenda for creativity and innovation on campus and guide future activity. The University Innovation Fellow will work on a yearly basis to convene the group and facilitate the implementation of the vision in partnership with faculty sponsors, trustee partners and the University Innovation Fellowship network.

3) Place-Based Innovation: In order to equip students and faculty will the tools, skillets and resources outlined in the vision, the coalition will work towards the development of an Institute for Design Thinking and Social Innovation that serves as a central hub for creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship on campus. This Institute will house a student venture incubator, an accessible maker space and flexible classrooms for team-taught design thinking courses, professional development workshops and lifelong learning programs.

Strategy #1: Sparking a Grassroots Movement

Tactic #1: Furman on FIRE

In order to ensure that the movement is sustainable and inclusive, a three-tiered network will be created to equip all members of the university community with the tools for introducing creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation at all levels of campus activity.

1) Fire Circle: This group stewards the vision for innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship on campus by creating the Strategic Project plan and keeping track of activity in each focus area. The Fire Circle is comprised of student leaders, faculty sponsors, academic deans, alumni and trustees that are interested in fostering innovation activity on campus. Each member of the Fire Circle is responsible for championing a particular focus area and recruiting Fire Starters to generate interest through established networks on campus. This group functions as the "brain trust" for the movement.

2) Fire Starters: This group of students and faculty work together to plan events and activities in each focus area to spread the vision across campus. As word-of-mouth marketing agents, Fire Starters spark interest among friends and connect their peers with opportunities to engage in each focus area. These are the "first followers" of the movement.

3) Fire Sparks: This group includes all members of the Furman community - students, faculty, staff or alumni – that that engage in the movement of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. Fire Sparks pursue their passions by taking experiential courses, engaging in community service, pursuing innovative research, starting creative projects or taking action on their ideas through entrepreneurship.

Empowering Agency: In order to ensure that the movement spreads across the campus community, all students and faculty involved work towards the development of opportunities that empower students to

A) Find their Spark: the passions, interests, visions and hopes for the future that lead them to make their mark in the world.
B) Develop their Skills: the unique talents, gifts and creative capacities that set them apart and make them an asset to any team.
C) Build a Network: the relationships with peers, mentors and community members that lead to new insights and opportunities.