School:Cleveland State University

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Overview

Cleveland State University is a public doctoral research university located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. CSU was established in 1962 and has evolved as an "engaged" campus that is highly connected to its community. Many of its programs are applied and faculty are highly engaged in local and regional research. Despite some efforts out of the Business and Engineering schools, there has not been any major, cross-campus innovation and entrepreneurship efforts. However, CSU has recently (as of Fall 2021) begun to undertake a specific initiative, "CSU 2.0," introduced by current president Harlan Sands. CSU 2.0 is an effort to propel Cleveland State onto the world stage as a forward-thinking, innovative institution. Assuming an aspect of the current pedagogical zeitgeist seeks to deconstruct and improve the institution of education as a whole, this CSU 2.0 initiative presents an incredibly promising opportunity to create large change on the university-wide scale.

Promoting Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Cleveland State University's most active innovation and entrepreneurship spaces for students include the Monte Ahuja College of Business' Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Washkewicz College of Engineering's Dan T. Moore's MakerSpace.

The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship hosts a variety of centers, services and events to promote student entrepreneurship, including the Weston Ideation Lab, the Small Business Development Center, StartUp Vikes (an event to create a business in one weekend), and .... It also directs several academic programs, including an undergraduate Minor in Entrepreneurship and a Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship.

Although a regional event, Entrepreneurship Immersion Week is sponsored by CSU's Weston Ideation Lab. CSU supports 6 undergraduate students to participate in this week-long residency program at Ashland University. The last program took place in Summer, 2020.

Unlike the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which focuses more on the business and idea side of innovation, the Dan T. Moore MakerSpace specializes in the physical and creating aspects of innovation. It is a design lab which offers physical space, equipment, and skill-building for CSU students to bring their ideas to life. Machinists provide training for students who can then access additional equipment.

Cleveland State also has several student clubs and events which appear to be defunct since 2018-2019, including the Entrepreneurship Club and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, as well as the Idea Vikes and Vike Tank competitions.

Encouraging Faculty Innovation and Entrepreneurship

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Actively Supporting the University Technology Transfer Function

The Technology Transfer Office at Cleveland State seems to be largely run by a single person, Jack Krazsewski, Esq. Based on a seminar he gave, at which a CSU Fellow was attending, he is ready and willing to help anyone through the legal process of creating a product. However, it is worth noting that the office has a research slant, so while it is well advertised to graduate students, many undergraduates might not even be aware that such an office exists.

Facilitating University-Industry Collaboration

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In addition, the Bachelor's of Mechanical Engineering degree has a collaboration between university and industry built into the curriculum. Many of the senior design projects in the mechanical engineering are sponsored by industry partners, such as Parker Hannifin. Through this year-long senior design project, students will meet with their industry sponsors and work towards the design of something for the company. However, it is worth mentioning that these industry partnerships are a double-edged sword. From talking with mechanical engineering seniors, there are more senior design projects than there are teams, so inevitable some projects get dropped. The projects that get dropped tend to be ones led by students. While this makes sense from the perspective of a person trying to maintain university-industry relationships, it also stamps out student-led initiatives and projects.