Priorities:Texas A&M University Student Priorities: Part III

Overview

It is imperative that Texas A&M University encourages, facilitates, and commences reach-outs for student-led innovation and entrepreneurship in order to maintain their ability to provide innovative solutions to today’s challenging problems. An analysis of the Texas A&M University innovation and entrepreneurship landscape reveals that the university is already home to many innovation and entrepreneurship-focused resources that can contribute to developing the innovative and entrepreneurial capabilities of students; however, most of the resources are manifested in programs that are scattered across different departments, and generally are not especially transparent to the students. Therefore, it is essential that Texas A&M brings innovative and entrepreneurial thinking, as well as existing resources, to the front-lines, to develop its set of innovative and entrepreneurial leaders; by reaching out to students proactively and connecting them with the university's vast resources, our students will graduate as prepared agents of change and solution.

This page lists directed strategies to this issue and enumerates possible implementations of solutions for each strategy.

Strategy #1: Gauge and increase the perceived value of innovation and entrepreneurship at Texas A&M

Tactic 1: Conduct research to gauge the perceived value of innovation and entrepreneurship at Texas A&M

• (4/14) Meet with major stakeholders to understand why innovation and entrepreneurship has not become a movement on campus yet.
• (5/14) Design a survey to gauge student understanding of innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as awareness of and need for innovation and entrepreneurship resources.
• (6/14) Collect survey data and create a report outlining perceived value of innovation and entrepreneurship

Tactic 2: Increase perceived value of innovation and entrepreneurship at Texas A&M

• (5/14) Create a marketing strategy (based on survey results) to increase perceived value and visibility of innovation and entrepreneurship resources on campus
• (6/14) Implement marketing strategy to engage a large audience for existing lectures and competitions

Strategy #2: Increase student access to potential resources of innovation and entrepreneurship at Texas A&M

Tactic 1: Negotiate student access to existing innovation and entrepreneurship certificates

• (5/14) Meet with major stakeholders to discuss possibility of opening up existing certificate program to more than undergraduate business majors.
• Next milestone will depend on the outcome of described discussion.

Tactic 2: Aggressively market the innovation and entrepreneurship message to students through the creation of a leadership team

• (5/14) Develop an application and competencies needed in the student leadership team.
• (6/14) Recruit students (and faculty co-leaders) to market the message of innovation & entrepreneurship to students.
• (7/14) Train recruited students on their role and responsibilities (at least a one-semester commitment).
• (7/14) Invite guest lecturer (Spaces of Invention workshop) to “train” recruited students about creating spaces (pop-up studios) for students.
• (8/14) Trained students go out to market the message and train other students to do the same!

Strategy #3: Develop student access to applied resources of innovation and entrepreneurship at Texas A&M

Tactic 1: Create an experiential program around ideas of innovation and entrepreneurship by bringing all existing resources together, with assistance from recruited student leaders

• (7/14) Meet with student leaders to begin designing a program using existing resources.
• (8/14) Coordinate resources to set-up the program.
• ....

Strategy #4: Fill gaps in realized resources of innovation and entrepreneurship at Texas A&M

Tactic 1: Build a maker space for students or determine how existing maker spaces can be influenced to incorporate student feedback on the space

Tactic 2: Work with the Technology Transfer Office to develop student-friendly policies around inventions developed by students

Tactic 3: Work with the Technology Transfer  & Grant & Proposal Development Offices to develop workshops geared towards helping students take their technology to market

Strategy #5: Further reframe resources of innovation and entrepreneurship at Texas A&M

Tactic 1: Sift through the Texas A&M Alumni Network to find alumni who are innovators and entrepreneurs, to create a network of alumni who can become a resource at all stages of the innovation and entrepreneurship movement

Strategy #6: Renew the entire university curriculum to integrate innovation and entrepreneurial resources and skills for all students at Texas A&M

These six strategies (and more) may be used to bring innovative and entrepreneurial thinking and resources to students, so Texas A&M students can develop their capacities to be innovative and entreprenurial in solving today's problems and leading tomorrow's challenges! 

Related Pages

2014 UIF Candidate, Gurlovleen Rathore

Texas A&M University 

Texas A&M University Student Priorities: Part I

/Kanika_Gakhar