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While many faculty are interested in creating new courses and programs that explore entrepreneurship and innovation, they are limited by current curricular requirements, departmental objectives and individual responsibilities. Apart from creating new opportunities for students, few incentives are provided at Furman to promote innovation and entrepreneurship among the faculty. While faculty pursue research and dedicate their time to creating compelling classroom experiences, few have the time, resources or bandwitdth to explore new material or launch their own entrepreneurial ventures. One approach favored by many faculty members is a tiered system that would allow for more flexibility in course scheduling and provide incentives through pay commpensation, grants and awards.
= University-Industry Collaboration <br/><br/> = Furman Advantage Internships GHS Research & Development Corporation '''Corporate & Continuing Education''' Through the Herring Center for Continuing Education, Furman provides courses, workshops and seminars on industry-relevant topics like information technology, data management and sustainability. '''Furman University's Summer Institute in IT Management''' was established to bridge the gap between the results of academic research and discovery about how knowledge-based organizations can best achieve their objectives and the practical application of these results within these organizations. Major topics for the Summer Institute include: a disciplined approach to system development and project management; organizational theory; managing change and planning in the face of uncertainty; economics, accounting, finance and marketing for technical managers; fostering creativity and innovation; decision-making; problem-solving; and critical thinking. The objective of the Summer Institute is to help participants synthesize and relate such knowledge for the purpose of forging a successful integration of technical and business cultures within the knowledge-based organization. Furman's '''Post Graduate Diploma in Corporate Sustainability''' teaches business leaders the tools, techniques and thinking required for a successful green transformation of existing companies. This program discusses problem-sovling, systems thinking, intrapreneurship and sheds light on emergent green technologies. Furman's '''BEST (Businesses Engaged in a Sustainable Tomorrow)''' program is aimed at helping businesses perform an assessment and identify opportunities to save money in the areas of energy, water usage, waste creation and management. Partnering businesses are provided with a simple, intuitive process that assists them in creating a customized plan for implementation, along with ongoing performance analyses designed to impact their bottom-line. '''Sustainable Partnerships'''The '''Shi Center for Sustainability''' works with partners from the public, private and social sector to complete research projects and design collaborative solutions that address local and global issues. Partners include the City of Greenville's Green Ribbon Advisory Council, AmeriCorps, Dream Big Greenville, Gardening for Good, the Duke Endowment, Piedmont Natural Gas, Greenville Forward, Lake Conestee Nature Park, United Way, Upstate Forever and the US Endowment for Forestry and Communities, among others.
= University Technology Transfer Function =