Priorities:Western Michigan University Student Priorities

Strategy 1

First Year Experience (FYE) Class

Western Michigan University, like many other colleges, offers a list of courses designed specifically for first year students. These First Year Experience (FYE) classes are designed to connect new students to faculty, staff, student leaders and peers to facilitate their success. Additionally, this two credit course provides great opportunities for students to explore their personal interests and discover the available student organizations that are pursuing these innitiatives at a professional level. A full description of these courses and curriculum can be found here (http://wmich.edu/fye/firstyear-seminar.html). As an already existing course that accesses the majority of freshman, this is a very attractive opportunity to instill and promote the values of innovation and entrepreneurship at WMU.

To gain access through these courses, the following tactics should be implemented:

Tactic #1- Begin by meeting with the leaders who design the FYE program and see what is involved in editing curriculum or creating a new section to include entrepreneurship in each FYE section for a few week period.  

Tactic #2- Workclosely with entrepreneurship professors across campus find out what they would want to include in the FYE class schedule. Educate students and help them learn more about what innovation and entrepreneuship are and how their benefits can apply to every professional enterprise.

Successful incorporation of I&E ideals into this program could begin a long lasting tradition of first year student participation in UIF's goals.

Strategy 2

Innovation Space

Being a division one university, Western Michigan has a large campus full of often underutilized classroom and community spaces. This availability of space, and input from current students highlights the desire and plausibility for a successfully developed innovation space. Existing labs and spaces are available for student use, but access and availability are limited. Additionally, these spaces only have potential to serve as innovation spaces; they are not labeled or considered as such by current students.

To accomplish this project, the following tactics should be considered:

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.

Tactic #2:Develope 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 neccesity to encourage participation.

Tactic #3:Student  leaders available to work the rooms and keep things organized.

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. Therefore, the end location would have to satisy the criteria of accessibility, low cost, and continued student support.