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School:Furman University

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= Student Innovation & Entrepreneurship =

Rather than finding its home in a particular ~~dicipline~~discipline, emergent entrepreneurs and innovators are scattered throughout Furman's academic departments. From Poverty Studies to Sustainability Science, Furman's student entrepreneurs apply what they're learning on through events and fundraisers, often waiting until after they graduate to launch a company, start a non-profit or join a start-up. '''Cultural Life Program (CLP)''' Furman's '''Cultural Life Program''' stands in the middle of the movement of innovation on campus by regularly connecting students with innovators, entrepreneurs and thought leaders from around the world. The Cultural Life Program (CLP) is designed to encourage students to attend a variety of high quality events that provide enriching, and challenging cultural experiences. Collectively, events designated as CLPs engage students in a spectrum of issues, ideas, and artistic expressions from various disciplines and cultures. These events foster a sense of community on campus and help those in attendance see multiple compelling and legitimate views on cultural issues, inspiring a life-long pursuit of intellectual fulfillment and cultural engagement. As a central component of the Furman experience, a typical student ~~will~~ is required to attend 32 CLP events in the four years (8 semesters) they study at Furmaninorder to graduate. Each student must attend a total number of CLP events equal to four times the number of semesters in which he or she enrolled for courses on the Furman campus.Registration priority for courses is based on class standing as determined by credits earned and CLP events attended. [[File:Furman3.png]] '''Student Ventures:'''

Whether by necessity or by choice, many of Furman's student entrepreneurs wait until after they leave campus to pursue their big ideas. A year after graduating with a degree in Psychology, Furman alum Dan Widenbenner launched '''[http://www.millvillagefarms.org Mill Village Farms]'''- a community farm that's growing food and creating jobs in Greenville's historic mill communities. Similarly, Furman alum Shane Sniteman enrolled in '''[http://theironyard.com/academy/ The Iron Yard Code Academy]''' a year after graduating with a degree in economics. Students like Dan and Shane are both representative of the driven, ambitious and socially-minded students that Furman recruits. If motivated students are starting ventures upon graduating, what might happen if they had access to the tools, classes, networks and spaces to build capacity and start ventures while at Furman? 

Other students, however, utilise the assets offered by Furman to start companies during their time at Furman. Brooks Buffington and Tyler Droll are Furman alumni who started Yik Yak - a famous app that lets you see and publish posts within 10 miles of your radius. Currently the school's business department is working towards starting a student venture competition where juniors and lowerclassmen can come up with business plans, submit them for evaluation and the three winning teams will be awarded $1000, 750 and $500 with respect to their positions. This initiative is expected to challenge students to explore their talents by provoking the innovator and entrepreneur within. The goal is to nurture a culture of creativity and innovativeness at Furman by encouraging students not to wait till they graduate to implement their ideas. Furman's internship office also has a database called ''myinterfase'' that students can use to contact alumni whether to inquire about internship or just get in touch with an alum working in their field of interest. The opportunity to connect with company owners and other alum working in students' respective fields of interest is supposed to increase innovation and entrepreneurship on campus indirectly by providing our students with access to vital information necessary for one to be a changemaker.

'''FUEL Furman:'''

To help fund student projects, start ups and events, the Furman Office of Development launched FUEL Furman - a crowd-funding platform that offers donors the opportunity to fund a smaller project in scope and cost. Each spring, Furman students nominate potential projects for FUEL Furman. Fundraising takes place during a set time frame and donors can watch their dollars immediately impact dollar totals. [http://alumni.furman.edu/fuel-furman Explore] 2014's projects below and find out how your gift, no matter the size, can immediately help Furman students.~~ ~~The projects supported by Fuel Furman range from facilitating recruitment of High School students by the Furman's acapella group to creating sheds for students bicycles for protection from corrosion and encouragement of green transit on campus. The projects that qualified for FUEL Furman in 2015 can be found [http://alumni.furman.edu/give/fuel-furman here].

[[File:Furman2.png]] '''Student Organizations: ''' During their time on campus, many students choose to pursue their passions by joining student organizations, leading community projects or participating in Greek Life.  These organizations introduce students to concepts related to entrepreneurship, technology and innovation by hosting various events, cultural life programs and conferences.  The '''Furman Creative Collaborative (FCC) '''is a student-led movement of creativity and innovation that was started by three freshmen in 2012. What began as a critique of student media organizations on campus evolved into a broader discussion about design, creativity and innovation and its role in shaping future of the liberal arts. From connecting students to a global ~~coversation~~ conversation about [http://knight.miami.edu/oncities/ the future of the city ]to hosting talks by creatives like [http://www.artisanalpencilsharpening.com Artisinal Pencil Pusher] David Rees, FCC sparks curiosity among the student body - indirectly planting the seeds of entrepreneurship. In the years to come, FCC plans to host engaging events on storytelling, start-ups and brand-building - along with off the wall speakers and experimental events that remind students to approach life with a playful spirit. Check out this [https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3xmm5ZC_rfKMlBkblpoNE50Vms/preview PDF] for more insight into how the movement emerged and where it's headed.

[[File:Tedx.png]]'''[[Www.tedxfurmanu.com| TEDxFurmanU]]''' is an annual student-run TEDx event affiliated with the Furman Creative Collaborative. When the group acquired a license to host its first conference in 2013, organizers invited students, teachers, authors, founders, and creatives to Furman’s campus to discuss the theme of “Redesigning Education.” In March of 2014, the group hosted its second annual conference at the Peace Center’s Gunter Theater in downtown Greenville around the theme “Stories: The Common Thread of Our Humanity.” TEDXFurmanU had its third annual conference on March 21, 2015 and the theme was "Shatter."The theme for 2016 is GO BIG and many students are now applying to be speakers at the event on February, 20..

<div>The [http://www2.furman.edu/studentlife/leadership/ShuckerLeadershipInstitute/Pages/default.aspx Shucker Leadership Institute ]at Furman is a comprehensive program designed to foster change in students and the greater Greenville community. A Shucker Fellow engages in a four year experience and gains an understanding of personal strengths as a leader, practices collaborative leadership and learns how to be a catalyst for change. Each year, 25 candidates are chosen to become New Fellows in the Shucker Leadership Institute. SLI's guided process is intended to enhance the college experience and prepare an individual for a lifetime of meaningful leadership and service in any field.</div><div> The '''Furman Robotics Team''' is a student-run organization that connects people with an interest in robotics and electronics to collaborate on small projects - both for fun and those that are entered in regional and national competitions. Every new member is taught basic electronics and programming skills and is assigned to a group of 3-5 people working on a shared project. Group president Evdokiya Kostadinova shares, "No previous experience is needed, just pure enthusiasm." </div><div> </div><div>In 1988, Furman's Board of Trustees transferred $100,000 to form '''The Investment Club''' from the school’s endowment. Since then, the club's members have used that balance to identify investment strategies, purchase stocks and gain experience in the world of finance. The group also hosts events with Greenville's business leaders. The club currently meets twice a month to learn about investment topics and study its portfolio. '''The StudioLab,''' a branch of the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), offers Furman students, faculty and staff access to cutting-edge technology. Student consultants provide one-on-one assistance in learning to use all forms of technology, including assistance with writing. We offer both assistance with collaborative digital projects and one-on-one writing consultations. The mission of the Writing & Media is to facilitate the effective use of communication technologies at Furman and initiate learning experiences through collaboration.  The '''Environmental Action Group (EAG)'''''' i'''s the campus go-to group for environmental and sustainable movements on campus. They aim to educate the campus on how to live in an eco-friendly way, while doing service projects and hosting events that support their philosophy. Efforts include demonstrations of sustainable technologies, discussions around social entrepreneurship and explorations of sustainable solutions for issues of waste, transportation, climate change and energy.  </div><div> [[File:Furman5.png]] In the Art Department, Furman's '''Fine Arts Entrepreneurship Society (FAES)''' fosters interest and growth in visual studies by demonstrating the value of the arts through entrepreneurial activities. The organization accomplishes this through events, social activities, field trips, workshops, and lectures with artists, designers and entrepreneurs. Speakers have included world-renowned surf artist [http://drewbrophy.com Drew Brophy], who hosted a workshop and lecture students on how to build a career around making what matters to them.  FU Art is also home to '''[[Www.createathon.org|CreateAthon]]''' on Campus: a 24 Hour pro bono design and branding blitz for social good. This annual event brings students from across campus together with mentors and designers that build brands and movements for Fortune 500 companies, social ventures and start-ups alike. CreateAthon is planned in partnership with local non profits - who are the client for the project. In addition, students work with faculty and mentors from word-of-mouth marketing firm Brains on Fire and the national CreateAthon movement to bring ideas to life. </div><div> </div><div>Different organization-based student discussions have been nurtured in a cross-departmental level. Political Science Department attempts to promote a casual setting between students and professors through a biweekly meeting called Pizza & Politics where students debate on political matters with their professors and their student peers in a conversational, non-hierachical style while having lunch together. The newly-founded Creative Writing Club also focuses on work sharing, encourages the expression of emotions and mutual appreciation on each others' writings, and so on. These small seeds altogether cultivate a more democratic culture implanted on students' thinking and verbalizing patterns, therefore promotes diversity of ideas and perspectives. Above all, Furman students are known for their passion, enthusiasm and willingness to do things differently to have fun. From floating a giant swan made out of plastic bottles on the lake to shed light on consumption habits to planning a giant flashmob with the president in downtown Greenville, the student body isn't afraid to do things differently. It's time to harness this energy and enthusiasm and channel it through entrepreneurship and innovation, which will equip students with the tools and skill sets needed to create new solutions for the world's most pressing problems. </div>

= Faculty Innovation and Entrepreneurship =

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