Priorities:Santa Clara University Student Priorities

Overview

Santa Clara University has a huge amount of resources for all students who are interested in entrepreneurship and innovation, however, not many students are enrolled in these programs.  There seems to be a rather large disconnect between the students and the programs.  This is not for a lack of trying.  Many organizations try very hard to organize to students, but there are not very good channels for connecting the students to their desired program.  Sure, there are bulletin boards all around campus, and emails that go out, but most students ignore both of these methods.  There needs to be a better way to reach a larger amount of students.  

There is also the problem of divisions.  Each school under the Santa Clara University umbrella (Arts and Science, Engineering, and Business) seems to have a disconnect.  They all seem to work with in their own school and not promote innovation by working together.  Bringing all these schools together would surely promote a greater pool of ideas and innovations.  

Strategy #1: Bringing Innovation to the Students

Tactic #1: More University Taught Classes!!

My first idea would be to get in touch with multiple professors and try and come up with some classes in the entrepreneurship field that would could for credit for the students.  Currently there are entrepreneurship classes but they can only be counted for credit in the entrepreneurship minor, or as an elective.  If we were to come up with a class that could implement a university core class it would count toward student graduation, and more students would take it.  The problem is that many students have jam-packed schedules as it is, and so fitting entrepreneurship classes into that does not work.  However, if we make the class part of their requirements, then the students can easily make time for the class.  Another way to fit entrepreneurship classes into already full schedules would be to offer a course that “double dips” or satisfies more than one requirement.  This would encourage more students to enroll and would teach them valuable entrepreneurial skills.

Tactic #2: App Advertising

My next tactic has to do with reaching students here on campus.  There needs to be a better way of connecting the resources to the students.  One way in which I thought this would be work better is by creating an app that any student could access, and it would tell them all the different opportunities for entrepreneurship in one handy place.  I could advertise the app on Facebook and Instagram to raise awareness.  The app could also be expanded to run for all clubs so students would know all the various clubs and activities that were meeting within a week.  

Strategy #2: A More United Campus

Tactic #1:  Innovation Class

One idea that I received from the documentary that we watched on design thinking in week two was to do a class in innovation.  I think if we could bring together a group of professors from all of the schools here, and then have them teach a class on innovation.  Each group of students, which would be from each school as well, would have to come up with a product or a pitch to solve a real world problem. They would then be judged on business model, engineering innovation, and design.  The best group of students could win a grant, or another prize of some kind.  This would promote design thinking and innovation here on campus, and be a great addition to the entrepreneurship curriculum.  

Tactic #2:  Classes for all!

My next idea involves entrepreneurship courses for all.  These could be seminars or actual classes for each school with in Santa Clara University.  This would be like Entrepreneurship for Engineers or for artists, or biology, but having courses that would be in more fields.  Currently there is an issue of having almost all entrepreneurship courses within the business and very little in other disciplines, and this makes it hard for students who are not business majors to pursue entrepreneurship.  This is an important issue because all students would benefit from having entrepreneurial skills, not just students in the business school. More classes would allow more students on campus to follow their passion for entrepreneurship.