Priorities:Saint Joseph University of Beirut Student Priorities

Project 1: Inspiring design thinking

Students do not really seem to know much about I&E especially in their first two years at university. This is why we decided to work on promoting design thinking.

Strategy #1: Campus Information Book

The above diagram shows how this information book can be helpful to students on campus. Many graduates managed to become successful entrepreneurs or reached very important positions in big companies. Our information book will include these success stories to help students shape their entrepreneurial mindset and follow the example of the alumni who reached success. Another addition to this book is the contact information of these people; thus, students will have the opportunity to contact them to either learn from them or get helpful information.

The second part of this book will include the projects that are being worked on by final year students or the serious hobbyist. This way, potential students will get an idea of what to expect from our campus and current students will get an idea of what is going on around them.

Many students also join and win competitions. These students develop complete projects on a higher level. This will push other students to know about competitions in campus and will motivate them to join and develop their entrepreneurial mindset.

Strategy #2: Organizing Competions on Campus

Competitions let students learn project management and teamwork, two essential attributes for every entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs love competition; thus, developing the competiton spirit inside the campus is essential as students will work hard on accomplishing the best project they can possibly do in order to try and win. This process will develop the entrepeneurial mindset for students and will teach them to work hard, work smart and organize their projects

Strategy #3: UIF entrepreneurial programs

Our university plans to join the UIF program permanently. Finding potential UIF students is essential for the continuity of our university in this program to pursue the projects we started working on and developing. This way, these students will get the opportunity of learning from our experience with the program and will get an idea of what we are working on.

Organizing UIF events and conferences on campus is also essential in order to share our experience with the program and the design thinking skills we 

acquired after completing this program. This will motivate students to join entrepreneursip program to learn and grow.

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Project 2: Weekly Articles

Problem

There is a big gap between on one side investors, infrastructures supporting innovation and entrepreneurship and on the other side students

Solution

A weekly Article will be created by the USJ-UIF club members and will be posted online so that everyone can profit from the article.

Articles evolve around different topics. Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Design Thinking, Investors, Financial literacy etc...

Some examples are:

1. What I look for in entrepreneurs (An interview with a Lebanese investor)
2. How to create a startup with a vision?
3. What is Ideation 
4. A Step by step guide to launch a startup
5. Strategic Planning Process
6. Hack the ecosystem at Berytech
7. Things to do before connecting with investors

  

Project 3: USJ Extreme week

Solution

The aim of this program is to make USJ involved in the community. It consists of forming groups of students from different majors in order to work on a real problem encountered in a certain region in Lebanon. This way students will be initiated to multidisciplinary work, they will invest their potential and will be efficient in their community while using the facilities offered by their university. This may initiate future projects that students may be inspired to do, after they graduate. This project will allow USJ to be better in the Spin-out section, because our university has a lot of wet labs and offers several facilities but are only used for academic purposes and for research.

1. Recruitment of students from all campuses
2. Set a date that suits the majority of the students and is in harmony with the academic schedule
3. Collaborate with Service de l’Insertion Professionnelle: Give the enrolled students sessions about the skills they need to acquire to be working in this program:

1. Design thinking : 4 courses
2. Team work: 2 courses

1. Collaborate with Operation 7e jour: Select one region (a year) and identify one problem
2. Organize a trip for the students enrolled to go visit the region and study the ground they will be working on
3. Go back to the university and bring together all the ideas
4. Ideate
5. Follow up from the professors
6. Prototype
7. Follow up from the professors
8. Final presentation in front of the professors
9. Choose the best project and present it to the people concerned by the problem in the region
10. Collaborate with USJ services (incubators, accelerators, funds, labs etc) to find a procedure to execute the project
11. All the students enrolled, not only those who came up with the project, will give feedback to the team working on this project to enhance the chances of optimizing the idea
12. Invest in the project Or study the project more profoundly Or let it go
13. Execute the project

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Project 4: Awareness/Motivation and inspiration day for all USJ students  

Problem

Students are limited to their academic performance and courses

Solution

Awareness/ Motivation and Inspiration Day for all USJ Students which will hold:

 Professional Speakers

Example of Topics:

• “Success came out of experience and networking, not because of a high GPA”

• “What does it take?”

 Young Start-ups coming: stands, Trainings, Recruitment sessions …

 Workshops

Example of Topics:

• “How to think outside the box in my major?”

• “Ideation”

• “How to do a business Plan”

Presentations from USJ and Berytech (or some Investors and Accelerator Programs)

• “How can USJ help you to get ready for initiating your start-up” - USJ

• “What do we want from students to help them with their start-ups” - Berytech

• “What you should have/know to start your new company” – Berytech

• Cocktail buffet, drinks and music included

Project 4 : Rooftop Cafe

The rooftop cafe will be a place where students can meet talk and engage in conversations. Students from all USJ campuses can go out and meet at the USJ rooftop located in the Mansourieh Campus. The rooftop there has one of the most beautiful views of Beirut and it is far from the city with a calm environment

Writen By:

Charbel Abou Younes

Elio Gerges

Josephine Balaa

Tatiana Wakim