School:Western Michigan University

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Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship

While the word Entrepreneurship has been tossed around Western Michigan University's campus for quite some time, it has only recently become a reality for WMU students. As of fall 2014, students can apply for either the Entrepreneurship major or Entrepreneurship minor. These programs feature classes from both the College of Engineering & Applied Sciences (CEAS) and the Haworth College of Business (HCoB).

Within CEAS, students can enroll in the Bachelors of Science in Engineering program entitled Industrial & Entrepreneurial Engineering (IEE). IEE combines traditional industrial engineering methodologies while focusing on innovation and design thinking. Students graduate with the mindset of both an industrial engineer and an entrepreneur, giving them the knowledge and expertise to either open their own business or to lead to innovative discoveries within established companies.

Within the Haworth College of Business, Integrated Supply Management program features an array of courses highlighting the importance of innovation and design. As of fall 2014, the program was ranked #5 in the nation.

Additionally, the School of Music hosts an annual Entrepreneurial Extravaganza, a day-long workshop that combines resume writing, mock interviews, finance tips, marketing strategies, and networking.

Through classes, workshops, and collaborative projects, students have the opportunity to develop the skills needed to be successful in their music career.

The Entrepreneurship Club at WMU brings together entrepreneurs, students, faculty, and business executives in the spirit of group innovation to help adapt their skills to today's changing global economy. The purpose of the group is to bring together anyone who has a passion for entrepreneurship through networking and brainstorming with fellow students. 

• Meetings / Speakers: The club meets to discuss entrepreneurship matters and also bring in local entrepreneurs, to help them with ideas and how to achieve goals. Former club president Matt Rumora says that "We provide speakers, presentations, and events so our members can gain necessary entrepreneurial skills while networking, building startups, and having fun. We encourage students from all disciplines and backgrounds to participate."

Western Michigan University also added Starting Gate, a business accelerator, to its repertoire in the summer of 2013. The extracurricular 100-day program provides workshops, speakers, and resources for participants to help bring their business ideas to fruition. Many of these students also participate in the annual PITCH Competition that is hosted by the Haworth College of Business. As the name suggests, students compete for funding through 3-minute pitches for their business ideas. This competition is one of the most popular entrepreneurial-based extracurricular activities that is offered by the university.

Faculty Innovation and Entrepreneurship

WMU professors have been the driving force behind the greater emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship within the classroom. From designing the only ABET-Accredited Industrial & Entrepreneurial Engineering (IEE) program, to forming the newly classified Entrepreneurship major, they are dedicated to bringing I&E to university students.

Within IEE, the professors collaborate to bring a set of courses (Entrepreneurial Engineering I, II, & III) to guide students through the different stages of the product design and development cycle. Other focuses of the courses include the business canvas and the hypothetical layout of the manufacturing facility needed to build that product. Even within the Engineering Economics course, the professor assigns a case study regarding the initial costs of starting a new business.

This is the same within the Management Department, as professors seek out entrepreneurship projects for their students. These projects typically stem from the engineering college; the management students are to apply their business expertise to help expand these entrepreneurship efforts. Generally, the professors are also the first ones to encourage students to participate in competitions and workshops, such as the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition and the Michigan Collegiate Innovation Prize.

The main push for entrepreneurship within the Haworth College of Business has come from Dean Kay Palan. She created the Endowed Chairs for Entrepreneurship team, consisting of Dr. Robert Landeros (department chair) and three entrepreneurs in residence (John Mueller, Barclay Johnson, and Laurel Ofstein). All three come from an impressive background of entrepreneurship experience.

Similarly, the Endowed Chairs for Innovation are leading the push for innovation at the College of Engineering & Applied Sciences. Making up this group are Dr. Steve Butt (department chair), Dr. Tycho Fredericks, Dr. Bob White, and Dr. Azim Houshyar. 

University-Industry Collaboration 

Western Michigan has a unique advantage within the category of University-Industry Collaboration. The College of Engineering & Applied Sciences (CEAS) is located within the Business Technology and Research (BTR) Park, a Pure Michigan SmartZone and a high-tech business development with nearly 40 member companies. The park’s location means partner firms in the life sciences, advanced engineering, and information technology will have regular opportunities to interact with the faculty, research staff, and students of one of the nation’s top public universities.  Example companies within the park include Newell Rubbermaid, EPS Security, StructureTec, ThermoFisher Scientific, and Tekna Solutions; a full list can be found at http://wmich.edu/btr/companies.

Additionally, all disciplines within the College of Engineering & Applied Sciences must complete a Senior Design project as a requirement for graduation. The majority of these projects highlight local companies, bringing together the university students with industry professionals. In the past, projects have taken place at Stryker, Parker Hannifin, Eaton, Fabri-Kal, Denso, and many more. The most recent class of graduates contributed 152 projects and presentations to the university and surrounding industries. 

Regional and Local Economic Development Efforts

The WMU chapter of the Institute of Industrial Engineers student organization is currently a Gold Member of IIE and last year hosted the entire great lakes region to a conference highlighting the need for innovation featuring keynote speakers from a variety of entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial backgrounds. The student group is composed of mostly industrial engineers but they are able to show the region what kind of innovation ways that are taking place at Western Michigan University in the paper competition, where some of the projects from the Entrepreneur engineering courses have been submitted. 

Starting Gate is the host of the PITCH competition but also holds semester long competitive entry programs where student groups get an opportunity to develop their startup venture alongside professional advice and access. new project started by the "B-School" to help with startups to present students with the resources to help build and grow their small startups. This is starting gate's third year of activity but they already have a diverse group of students ranging from incoming freshman expanding on a project they had in high school to MBA students trying to potentially start a career. 

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Christopher Woodward