Priorities:University of Saint Thomas Student Priorities

Overview

Our project pitch: Creating a Community-Based Capstone

Strategy #1: Increase Innovation and Entrepreneurship Across All Disciplines

Create a design and innovation workshop for professors and faculty from all departments to teach them how to bring innovation into their classes.

• Offer project ideas that blend professor's subjects and innovation
• Offer Innovation and Entrepreneurship based courses in more departments

Create an online innovation module that professors can give to their students that teaches them about innovation in regards to the class they are taking.

• Add a Canvas module that address innovation and entrepreneurship related to their class
• Include a design project where students can gain real world innovation practice

Strategy #2: Increase Innovation in Sustainability on Campus

Host a Make-A-Thon around the Topic of Sustainability

• Host a Make-A-Thon on campus open to all students asking them to come up with an innovative solution to a sustainability issue
• Before the event begins, have students learn about the design thinking process
• Offer a reward to incentivize students to participate, perhaps offer seed funding for winning idea

Integrate Design Thinking into Sustainability Courses

• Offer a workshop to faculty about how they can integrate design thinking in regards to their sustainability courses
• Encourage staff members to incorporate a project or competition to solve a problem in their curriculum

Offer Workshops throughout the Semester Related to Innovation and Entrepreneurship

• Collaborate with an already existing workshop to incorporate innovation and entrepreneurship
• Host a two hour workshop during convo hour sponsored by an engineering club 

Building a space for cooperative innovation and new ideas.

• Students would have to complete an online training module to participate in the space. 
• Space would have resources needed for innovation and entreprenurial ideas. 
• There would be a design team, made of students, to help create, brainstorm, and ideate innovative thoughts. 

Strategy #4: Increase Real World Experiences for Students

• Companies with a relationship to St. Thomas host events where students can come and visit their company, experiencing their work environment.

  • Students would be interested in this, as when companies come to visit during club meetings, there are huge turn outs
  • It would be a no-pressure way to explore that environment, helping students with deciding which way they want to travel after they earn their degree
  • This could be beneficial for companies, as the companies could scope out potential employees/interns, especially those that personally reach out to the company at the event.

• Mandatory class for semester long internship

  • This would be a huge way to get experience in the workfield as a class through the university.
  • St. Thomas could make a deal with the company, like if their students get the opportunity to intern part-time for a semester, they don’t have to pay them.
  • The students will learn actual physical skills towards their major that is different than just visiting as a group or talking to a representative.

• Mandatory job shadowing for class with mandatory questions:

  • Students would have to fulfill this to earn their degree, and in doing so, they can experience different places, helping them get a better feel for what they want to do after college.
  • If interested in this person, employers have a direct way of talking to the student without having to go through an application process. It would be a nice way for seeking out interns.
  • This would be more in depth way of learning about not only the company, but the job market, instead of just chatting with someone from the company for ten minutes.

Related Links

<a href="http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/University_of_Saint_Thomas">Campus Overview</a>

<a href="http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/University_of_Saint_Thomas_Student_Priorities">Student Priorities</a>

Spring 2017 Leadership Circle: 

<a href="http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/Annabelle_Hamilton">Annabelle Hamilton</a>

Hannah Brodersen

<a href="http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/Murad_Abduselam">Murad Abduselam</a>

<a href="http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/Paige_Huschka">Paige Huschka</a>