Priorities:Berea College Student Priorities

Strategic Priorities for Innovation and Entrepreneurship on Berea College Campus

= Strategic Priorities for Innovation and Entrepreneurship on Berea College Campus

Priority #1: Start-up weekends/Idea Pitches


Provide an opportunities for budding entrepreneurs to work on their ideas, pitches, and get funding for and feedback on their ideas. Hosted on the college campus, students will have the chance to build upon an idea that engages problems occurring on the micro level, while also being mentored/judged by experts in the community. We will have professors from Computer Science, Business, Economics, Technology and Applied Design to act as judges, and have local businesses provide financial awards that creates a partnership through I&E principles. The first night of the event, we will teach students concepts such as Design Thinking which can help in their idea processes, and skills they can use after the weekend it complete.

Leaders: [Enter Name(s) here]


Milestone:
First event, Spring 2015
Tactic #1:
Tactic #2:




Priority #2: Berea Innovation Studio (BIS) and Creative Space


Our delivery methodology will be to create a space, an innovation studio, where we will strive to foster activities that encourage and support innovation on campus, especially among the student body.
Lead Person: Robert Hosking, Jacob Heller


Milestone:


Start, Fall 2015
Tactic #1:
Tactic #2:

Priority #3: Lobby for I&E Principles in General Studies Program
Should be mandated for every student as part of Berea College's General Studies program, but more specifically the General Studies Classes offered to Freshman (GSTR 110) and to Seniors (GSTR 410).  These classes may be subject-specific, and offered as seminars (e.g. Entrepreneurship for Biology and/or Chemistry; Entrepreneurship for Engineering and/or Technology). Also, the incorporation of I&E concepts can be implemented in a project-based learning environment for real-life application within the community and for interdisciplinary collaboration.
Lead Person: [Enter name(s) here]
Milestones:
Initiate conversations with Administration, Summer 2015
Seek to have agenda featured at faculty meetings, Fall 2015
Tactic #1:
Tactic #2:

Priority #4: Coding Saturdays


A partnership with the Computer Science Department to foster coding skills, by hosting 2-hour workshops at least every fortnight (two weeks), on Saturday mornings.
Lead Person: [Enter name(s) here]


Milestones:
Space and coding instructors search, August-September, 2015
First event, first week of October, 2015
Tactic #1:
Tactic #2:

Priority #5: Makers’ Fair


Partner with the Technology Club to host prototype design and building sessions, followed by a fair to showcase these prototypes and ideas. These events should take place once every regular semester (twice per year).
Lead Person:
Key Partners: Technology Club, Technology Department, and Computer Science Department


Milestones:
First event, November 2014
Draft calendars of events and stakeholder meetings, Fall 2014
Next event, Spring 2015​
Tactic #1:
Tactic #2:

Priority #6: Design projects for businesses and community


Partner with businesses and organizations in the community to work on projects that can be solved through innovation. A business and/or community partner would provide a challenge, and a team of students would develop and design a solution, using the BIS.
Lead Person: [Enter name(s) here]


Milestones:
Identify potential partners and build relationships, August-September, 2014
First event, October 2014
Tactic #1:
Tactic #2:

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