Priorities:Southern Illinois University Student Priorities - Spring 2016
Contents
Overview
Southern Illinois University (SIU) excels in housing the resources for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
In fact, SIU has been supporting the region’s entrepreneurs in job creation, enterprise development and expansion, and strengthening the rural southern Illinois economy since 1985 with the establishment of the Small Business Development Center. Various courses allow our student body to discover the significance of an entrepreneurship culture, workshops such as Marketing U assist in developing professionalism, competitions such as the Elevator Pitch Competition have been devoted to engage students in innovative activities, and the Research Park is the primary innovation and technology space in the southern third of Illinois.
Yet, many courses are offered only to STEM or business majors disqualifying curious students who desire to explore the topic but don't wish to extend their currciulum and the Research Park is located on the outskirts of campus. Many of these resoures are segregated making it relatively difficult for students to involve themselves in related activites and hinders marketing attempts. The following are our student priorities:
Strategic Priorities
Option #1 - 3 Day Startup Competition
Description
Open to all students, the 3 Day Startup Competition will dive into design thinking, prototyping, and marketing workshops all in one event's setting with the ultimate goal of finding a solution for potential food desserts located in Southern Illinois. This event allows students, of all backgrounds, to collaborate and create sustainable change wth experienced faculty, staff, and local entrepreneurs.
Tactical Implementation
- Surveying: Primary data will be retreived from the student body through a mass email campaign. (1 month)
- 2 Focus groups: Utilized to grasp any suggestions and inquires. (1 month)
- Social Media: Various accounts, especially Facebook and Twitter, will be created to proactively engage with students and provide related information. (ongoing after the survey results)
- Informationals: Held for further information on the event and to speak with potential workshop facilitators (1 month after social media setup)