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Priorities:Western Michigan University Student Priorities

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= Overview of Strategies =

Western Michigan University has many opportunities for different types of innovation on campus, for example, the annual pitch competition, the Innovation Club, and our campus makerspace. While we recognize all of the amazing opportunities for innovation already present here at Western, we have also come to understand the endless potential our university has for growth.  <br/span> As University Innovation Fellows, we have gained access to more resources than we knew existed.  Here we present what exactly those improvements are, so that we may positively begin to impact the student experience.

= Strategy 1 =

== Marketing for Campus Connections ==

~~Students that would like to meet others outside~~ There is a lack of cohesive marketing of ~~their discipline should be able to find others that~~ the WMU values within campus and even externally. We are ~~working towards~~ a top 100 research university, but students aren’t always taking advantage of these opportunities. How do we start asking the ~~same project goal. They can connect via common interestes~~right questions? The previous UIF group is trying to assuage this need with the Think Big campaign. Helping them continue to grow in this process and supporting the university in this endeavor is the best way to continue to grow in this area. We aim to drum up support and ~~common aspirations~~attendance for events like town hall meetings.~~ ~~

= Strategy 2 =

== ~~Innovation Space~~ Improving Campus Culture ==

C^3 is an initiative to connect students to each other and to peer mentors who can aid in the overall understanding of an individual topic. This helps create an environment of learning and teamwork. "<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-~~size~~variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space:~~small~~pre-wrap;">~~Being a division one university,~~ Western ~~Michigan has~~ is a ~~large campus full~~ community of ~~often underutilized classroom and community spaces~~well rounded students, focused on expanding themselves beyond the traditional student expectations. Students today are pressured from all angles to improve constantly.   This ~~availability~~ kind of ~~space~~pressure can cause a lot of students to isolate themselves within their major, ~~and input~~ becoming disconnected from ~~current students highlights~~ the ~~desire~~ rest of campus because they are so focused on trying to keep themselves a float with grades and ~~plausibility for a successfully developed innovation space~~adulthood. ~~Existing labs and spaces are available for student use, though many~~   A lot of students who feel outside of ~~the labs~~ campus culture are ~~under utilized as they are hard to gain access~~ not likely tocontinue their education at Western. ~~Additionally~~ By creating a culture focused on collaboration and innovation, ~~these spaces~~ we will not only ~~have potential to serve~~ improve the lives of students but our university as ~~innovation spaces~~a whole. We intend to create a group of talent seekers who find students at Western with great, new, innovative ideas and then recognize them on a platform like Instagram or ~~considered as such by current students~~YouTube. A student committee nominating and putting the spotlight on their peers.

= ~~To accomplish this project, the following tactics should be considered:~~Strategy 3=

~~~~= Tactic #1:  Allocate space.  Identify which spaces could be available for innovation and have an in depth understanding for what will need to be done to each for it to be functional. -Completed (Spring 2016)Interdisciplinary Collaboration==

~~Tactic #2~~There’s isn’t currently a space on campus that’s inviting and nature heavy, that’s conveniently available to all students.There are links to ~~work~~ mental wellness studies and gathering students in one place will naturally lead to group socialization. Providing these groups with the ~~room and operate equipment~~ tools they need to be productive with each other, which is also key to building bridges across disciplines.Interdisciplinary Collaboration on campus could be highly benefitted by a space that draws students regardless of major or course of study. The escape into nature aspect built in with an open productive space could exponentially augment the ~~safest manner possible~~students interactino with each other, leading to a more cohesive and well rounded campus collective. Something like aGreen Lounge, a greenhouse inspired atrium with links to mental wellness that draws students from a variety of majors, and which also spurs interest in the Finch Greenhouses.

= Tactic #2:</span>Develop an accountability system to make sure that the spaces are being used and reserved in an orderly way.  A system easily available for students to reserve the spaces for limited time and have a system to ensure that the spaces are well kept is a necessity to encourage participation.Strategy 4=

== One of the main functions of innovation spaces are bringing students together to collaborate and improve on each other's ideas. College specific spaces do not encourage this communication across majors. This is why the space is located at the center of main campus in the library. Where it is easily accessible to all students and faculty.Reputation==

As students and faculty alike, we can all agree that Western is a place that has served as a cornucopia of academic expansion for students across all disciplines.  That being said, there is still a misconception that students are more proud of their extra curricular Saturday nights than of their academic prowess. The nickname of “Wastern” can be incredibly detrimental and damaging to the University's reputation, especially when we look to recruit academically focused innovators. We need to prevent these potential changemakers and those already at Western from looking at other universities because of our less than professional reputation~~To forward~~ . Not only are we turning students away from our University, but we noticed that current student accomplishments are being swept under the ~~progress~~ rug as talk of boozy tailgates take center stagae. Internally, WMU needs more recognition of ~~this project~~ its students for the great work they are doing. Some colleges within the ~~following steps should~~ University currently spotlight their students on Instagram pages and others have professors nominate their best students for a scholarship or award. But what about those students who are working on their brilliant ideas on their own, and only can be ~~considered:~~recognized by their peers?

= ~~Approach #1: Boost marketing tactics to make more students aware of the existence of the Innovation space.~~Strategy 5 =

== ~~Approach #2: Acquire additional funding to keep materials and tools well stocked. This could be done through fundraising or company sponsorship.~~Mobile Interfacing ==

~~Approach #3~~Engaging students through their most used devices, their phones, is an area many universities are struggling to catch up with, WMU included. Students need a way to interact with their Universities in a more streamlined and well designed process than currently available, something that can do anything from navigating them to class to letting them know which classes to avoid registering for at the ~~soon to be built Innovation center~~same time. ~~This would allow~~ Solutions could address issues such as: Dorm access, Digital IDs, paying for ~~a space in the most prime area~~ things on campus ~~for ideation and innovation~~, like BroncoPay, a DegreeWorks revamp, class search/ recommendation/ review feature.

~~[[File:WMU Ergo Lab.jpeg]]<div> </div>= Strategy 3 =~~ ~~== Interdisciplinary Senior Design ==~~ Senior engineering students at WMU must complete a senior design project as a requirement for graduation from their program. Currently, students only work with other students within their respective major or department. Project presentations occur twice a year in April and October. Completion of a senior design project indicates successful acquisition of major specific knowledge as well as real world application skills. However, the structure of post-graduate corporate America isn’t organized into teams by college major. It is full of interdisciplinary creative groups expressing entrepreneurial and innovative tendencies towards specific challenges. Multiple discipline collaboration within the College of Engineering & Applied Sciences and beyond during senior projects encourages the continued development of innovation and entrepreneurial skills as students enter the workforce. ~~To accomplish this, the following tactics should be considered:~~ Tactic #1:Encourage the acceptance of interdisciplinary projects as viable and long lasting topics for senior design presentations rather than the result of a last minute group and idea formation. Tactic #2: Meet with and discuss the process involved in approving senior design projects with faculty in charge. Getting an understanding of the requirements allows parameters to be set so that the proper balance of innovation and knowledge recitation can occur. Tactic #3: Gain student interest. Spread the word about possible senior design collaborations between majors to future seniors to prove the existing interest to faculty and decision makers in charge of approval. ~~[[File:Wmu senior design.jpg]]~~ ~~= Strategy 4 =~~ ~~== Focus on ''Intra''preneurship ==~~ Overview: Due to the campus culture at WMU, “entrepreneurship” seems to only be a buzzword. To many students, entrepreneurship only means starting a business from scratch. While this is true, it is not fully representative of the entire scope of entrepreneurship and innovation. The other portion is often called intrapreneurship, or innovation that occurs within existing industries.Related Links~~~~ Tactic #1: While students within the College of Engineering & Applied Sciences are constantly building, creating, and designing solutions, few realize how much innovation is actually occurring, and how the lessons they are learning can be applied to their future career. One option is to bring in industry leaders to speak about how they use design thinking and innovation in their workplace. This could stress the importance of entrepreneurial thinking as a whole, independent of whether the student wanted to open a business or enter the workplace. Tactic #2: WMU could also offer intrapreneurship workshops to highlight the skills necessary to be successful in particular industries. Focus would be on the approach and application of the design cycle within the restraints of a company. Tactic #3: Entrepreneurship can be introduced to all students in introductory courses. While the Industial Engineering department as well as the Business College do a good job of exposing their students to entrepreneurship many other departments have lots to gain by introducing this concept to students in the early stages of their academic career. ~~= Strategy 4 =~~ ~~== Entrepreneurship and Innovation Resource Introduction for Underclassmen ==~~ Overview: In talking to younger students on campus, we found that many did not know about the opportunities that were readily available to them. By not knowing about the opportunities, they were unable to take advantage of them, completely defeating the purpose of the opportunities at all. We believe that students should know about all opportunities available to them so that if they are interested, they can partake in entrepreneurship and innvoation activities on campus.  Tactic #1: Tabling at admitted student events. By being present at events for students before they even attend classes, opportunities such as the Innovation Club will be more prevelant in students' minds when they do get to college. This is especially true for students who try everything before classes start because they won't be too busy to learn more in the first place.  Tactic #2: Better marketing tactics for things like the library makerspace and the Innovation Club. By having more marketing materials and ambassadors for entrepreneurship and innovation around campus, students will be exposed to opportunities that they wouldn't have otherwise known about. Particularly with ambassadors, students would be able to ask questions and learn more about their options than with traditional flyers.  ~~= Strategy 5 =~~ ~~== Interdisciplinary Student Engagement Initiative ==~~ Overview: After getting insight from the student body from WMU's campus, we noticed there was a lack of interdisciplinary student engagement. We believe a solution to this problem is holding an event in which all students can participate no matter school standing or major. This event would foster a collaborative environment at the university between students, faculty, and the community. Tactic #1: The event we have in mind is a 48-hour startup weekend/hackathon. At this event students will participate for 48 hours to innovate, create, and network with employers. There will be a single challenge that students will create and help innovate a new idea involving a company, product, or business plan ultimately presenting this model to a panel of judges. There will be a monetary award being sourced from the company and school for the winners of the competition. To avoid pre-planning, the topic will kick off the 48-hour challenge.  Tactic # 2: Preceding the 48-hour hackathon/startup weekend, we will host a TEDx event to bolster student excitement for change in higher education. It will create a domino effect on how students would want to incorporate change. Which ultimately will lead to the creation of an authentic community between student and faculty for innovating change on campus.  ~~= Related Links~~ =

Graduated Innovation Fellows:  [[Christopher Woodward]], [http://universityinnovation.org/Persefoni%20Lauhon Persefoni_Lauhon], [[Zach Crawford|Zach_Crawford]]

~~Current~~ Fellows: [[Mackenzie Preston|Mackenzie Preston]], [[Jill Puckett|Jill Puckett]], [[Nathan LaWarre|Nathan LaWarre]], [http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/Daniel_Mozel Daniel Mozel], [http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/Andreas_Hobelsberger Andreas Hobelsberger], [http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/Megan_miller Megan Miller], [http://universityinnovation.org/wiki/Saleh_Mohamed Saleh Mohamed]

~~University~~Candidates:~~ ~~[[~~Western Michigan University~~Aisha Thaj|~~Western_Michigan_University~~Aisha_Thaj]], [[Caylee Prater|Caylee_Prater]], [[Cate Troost|Cate Troost]]

~~ ~~University: [[Western Michigan University|Western_Michigan_University]] [[Category:Student Priorities]][[Category:Student Priorities]][[Category:Western_Michigan_University]][[Category:Student_Priorities]]{{CatTree|Western_Michigan_University}}

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