Difference between revisions of "Priorities:Michigan State University Student Priorities"
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Revision as of 19:41, 6 April 2014
Contents
Student Priorities
Inspiring Design Thinking
Students do not even have innovation and entrepreneurship on their radar particularly in the early years of their education. This unfortunate truth presents an opportunity to show students what opportunities are present to them in a fun way which gets them excited as well as making entrepreneurship accessible to everyone.
Strategy #1: Provide regular meetings where students can be presented challenges and invent unique solutions.
Before students will truly embrace entrepreneurship and innovation they must feel empowered and the intimidation factor must be diminished in a fun and easily accessible way. The best way this can be done is by using what brought engineers into the discipline in the first place –problem solving and design. Students will be presented a problem, at each meeting throughout the semester, which they will be expected to solve in a unique and innovative way. The problem presented on any given day will range from broad problems such as global warming to very niche problems such as ways to improve the process of doing laundry. Students will be provided food as well as a variety of tools for prototyping and playing with their ideas in a physical way. The purpose of the club and exercises is not only to have fun but also inspire the kind of thinking required for entrepreneurs in the field of engineering.
Encouraging Pursuit of Entrepreneurship
Students are currently both intimidated by entrepreneurship and encouraged to follow the corporate route in engineering at Michigan State University. It is important that the campus culture encourages students to pursue their entrepreneurial goals as well as inspire capable and innovative students to follow the route of entrepreneurship following graduation and throughout their studies.
Strategy #1: Work entrepreneurship into curriculum
The general curriculum engineers go through should inspire students to seek out and pursue their entrepreneurial potential and make entrepreneurship and innovation accessible to all students.
Strategy #2: Hold regular presentations and speeches by engineers who pursued entrepreneurship
Knowing that others have followed entrepreneurship and have come through the same point the students are at will empower students to pursue the "big bad beast" of entrepreneurship.
Providing Tools for realizing Entrepreneurial Goals
Once students at Michigan State decide they have the confidence and desire to follow entepreneurship they quickly realize they lack the tools necessary to do so. A large part of this problem is satisfied by the Innovation Center in the business college but it’s important that students leave the university with the tools necessary to maintain their entrepreneurship independently and successfully.
Strategy #1: Provide entrepreneurship concentration in all engineering majors specifically designed for entrepreneurship in their field
These specialized classes will focus on students who know they eventually want to follow entrepreneurship and do not know what their next steps are. There will be business classes on business model development and how to get capital as well as classes on what entrepreneurship looks like in their field specifically which may range from patent writing and processes to software development and consumer testing.
Strategy #2: Provide seminars on business design and entrepreneurship strategies
For those that do not have the space in their curriculum to add entrepreneurship to their degree but still would like to add these skills to their skill set or for those relatively familiar with the entire process and only need classes in specialized areas independent co-curricular seminars should be held on isolated subjects. For instance, a brief seminar on patent writing may suit students better who are at a particular point in their entrepreneurial track but need a little extra information.
