Priorities:Converse College Student Priorities

Overview

Converse College was founded on the radical idea that young women deserved a space, designed for them, to pursue higher education. Since that first year, Converse has continued to help those women find their voice, understand their true value, and refine their vision.  As times change, however, so must we. How might we continue to adapt converse’s founding principles in order to serve a new generation of women?

We, as students, are entering a post-grad landscape far different than our predecessors. Steeped in technology, and connected on a massive, global scale, the tools we need to be successful in the world outside Converse’s campus are ever-changing. It is time for us to foster an innovative, creative ecosystem where failure is nothing but a starting point, and problems are nothing but opportunities. 

Priority One: Spark Student Interest & Create Concrete Value

Converse has a longstanding tradition of self-governance. A large portion of her students hold leadership positions on campus, and Converse itself is student-regulated, adhering to a traditional honor code. The student body is an active one, fully involved in the creation and ideation of Converse's future.

However, most students simply aren't aware of entrepreneurship and innovation on any scale, especially not on Converse's campus. Engineering students spend only two years on campus, taking the basic courses before heading off to Clemson. Computer science majors are few and far between. What Converse lacks in technical majors, however, it makes up for in its empassioned students. In any given year, students plan fundraisers to help crisis centers and cancer research institutes, organize trips to serve all over the United States, perform institutional research, and design new and exciting clubs to promote student involvement. Converse students aren't uninterested, they simply need to be shown the value.

Prirority one speaks to that process. Entrepreneeurship and Innovation, in this case, are not about venture creation, maker spaces, or new engineering deapartments. They are about the tools and skills an entrepreneur learns that can be applied to every career path once out of Converse's walls. This process is about speaking to the interests of our student body, and introducing them to skills and themes that can help them in all disciplines.  

PITCHConverse

Most pitch competitions revolve around business ideas. PITCHConverse is about community engagement. Students will be presented with a question, anything from "how might we improve the lives of south carolinian children?" to "how might we use technology in new ways on campus?" Solutions to these problems will be presented in a typical one minute format at an event sponsored by the Converse Honors Program and Religious Life. 

PITCHConverse is designed to help students become acquainted with entrepreneurial keywords, themes, and ideas. It also introduces them to facets of the entrepreneurial toolkit, including concise, clear communication skills, and innovative problem solving. Overall, it is designed to be the first major starting block for students to begin their participation in institutional I&E.

Convocation Series

Students are required to attend a number of events in different categories every semester in order to develop all aspects of the human spirit. these events span everything from art installations to resume building workshops. The Convocation Series' leadership component seeks to strengthen the professional capabilities of students through participation in student government and career development workshops. We believe that this requirement is an excellent way to introduce students to the world of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Through partnerships with organizations like Venture for America, we will bring in lecturers in the fields of I&E to share their stories. If students cannot envision a future in which they apply these skills, they will never decide to pursue them. Females especially suffer from a lack of strong depictions of women in I&E. Bringing in success stories to share everything from the details of education tracks, to what a personal life looks like when entering these fields will provide a basis against which students can begin to envision themselves.

The Convocation series, leadership events in particular,  also includes professional skill development. These events would be great places to introduce skills in technology, communication and creativity. Introducing themes seen in I&E will make the transition to explicit I&E a little easier.