Priorities:Florida Institute of Technology Student Priorities
Contents
Overview
Florida Tech has also recently been names as one of the Top 50 Entrepreneurial Universities by Forbes, which is a testament to the purpose efforts undertaken in recent years to create a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. As a private institution, Florida Tech has a history of high-quality undergraduate engineering education. However, Florida Tech has yet to realize its entrepreneurial potential due to a lack of formal training and education in entrepreneurship of faculty, the administration, and students. Largely, only a few faculty initially spearheaded the entrepreneurial endeavors, but as with many culture-changing endeavors, the current champions seek to create a critical mass of followers, adopters, and co-implementers.
STRATEGY # 1: CREATE AWARENESS ABOUT EXISTING FACILITIES FOR INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Tactic # 1: Support Weekly Innovation Challenges
Description: Weekly Innovation Challenges are supported by Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN). Each week students will practice and develop an entrepreneurial mindset.
Why does this mindset matter?
Find out here http://engineeringunleashed.com/ or watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZHvRpuemgk
Questions or Suggestions for Challenges.
Contact Jennifer Schlegel jschlegel@fit.edu
Milestones:
· Ask organizations on campus to advertise this event with their members
· Share the following details about the innovation challenge with more students:
Challenges are worked in teams of three.
ALL students are welcomed but teams are encouraged to have at least one engineering student.
Students are free to form their teams ahead of time.
No need to have a team of three to participate — just show up.
Judging
Guest judges will determine the winning team.
Prizes
Winning team participants are awarded $100 gift cards.
Team picture posted to innovation gallery of champions
Tactic # 2: Conduct a rapid design competition using articles acquired from a scavenger hunt
The competition will be such that all students have the ability to participate in as well as staff and faculty to create a campus wide day of fun. It will be challenging and thought-provoking, but no major will have an advantage. This is good to reach out to the community as well as the students and their professors.
Tactic # 3: Hold an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fair
We wish to hold an event to showcase all of the innovation that students have been involved with. Some students may have been a part of a big project during an internship or maybe some students invented something in their dorm. If it is innovative, we want to see it! This is a great event to hold to encourage collaboration on projects going forward. If you have a good design, but you do not have the skills to code a stellar User Interface, you may attract a fellow student to help you out at such an event and more.
STRATEGY # 2: START A STUDENT COUNCIL
Tactic # 1: Hold the first student council meeting
Description: Florida Tech has many great organizations like Tau Beta Pi and Society of Women Engineers that get students involved in projects related to their major and creates networking opportunities. However, it’s difficult to plan collaborative events with other organizations. The objective of the student council is to oversee and plan collaborative events between the engineering and business clubs and societies at Florida Tech. For example, SC would be in charge of planning E-week where we can have guest speakers, competitions and seniors and organizations can showcase their projects. Overall, we want to show others how our students at Florida Tech can apply their knowledge learned in class solve real world problems.
Milestones:
· Each organization president will introduce themselves.
· Dr. Schlegel will explain KEEN’s role in the foundation of the Student Council
· Team building competition
· Present why each president should join the student council.
· Announce next group meeting. (Meetings will be twice a month).
Check out our website for Engineers Week: engineersweekfit.com
Tactic # 2: Host Florida Tech Engineering Week 2016
Description: Engineering Week 2016 will be from February 22, 2016 to February 27, 2016. Multiple engineering organizations at Florida Tech are working together to have fun filled week to show how great engineering has changed the world we live in.
Milestones:
· Got 20 engineering organizations to sponsor events during the week
· Found speakers for the opening and closing ceremony
· Host two tours with local engineering companies
· Showcase the new KEEN weekly innovation challenge
· Bridge the barrier between different major
· First successful event planned by multiple organizations
· Formed new friendships while planning an event that hasn’t been held at Florida Tech since 1999
· Gained visibility with student and faculty stakeholders
Tactic # 3: Group Industry Projects
Description: Florida Tech is blessed to be located in the heart of the space coast region. However, not many events are held with local companies since there are no solid partnerships with the student organizations. In my experience, it has been difficult to get my voice heard by large local companies as a student. However, with the combined voice of the student council we can make a stronger impact when reaching out to local companies.
Milestones:
· Met Mrs. Sauerman, Corporate Sponsored Program Research Vice President at Florida Tech
· Schedule a meeting
· Mentorship between organizations
· Together we are stronger
Tactic # 4: Channel of communcation
Description: I’ve learned that communication is a vital skill that can sometimes be overlooked while trying to pass your differential equations class or finish your 20 page lab report. But communication is key for all professional careers. Our goal is to meet face to face with all the presidents of the engineering council and make connection to make communication more efficient. Together the organizations at Florida Tech can accomplish so much more than trying to survive on their own.
Milestones:
· Avoid schedule conflicts between organizations
· Network of communication allows smaller clubs to gain more exposure
· Mentorship between organizations
· Together we are stronger
Tactic # 5: Form a board of advisors
Description: The sustainability of the student council depends on faculty that will be able to moderate the transition between past and new members. Therefore, our mission for this semester is to find faculty in at Florida Tech that would serve as a board of advisor to ensure that the student council survives for future years to come.
Milestones:
· KEEN has offered to help launch the student council and provide future support
Tactic # 6: Launch as a separate organization
Description: The ultimate goal is for the student council to be a separate organization. To start the program, the student council will be launched under the umbrella of KEEN and EMPwr. Therefore, the pressure of starting an organization will not be put on a group of students. With the professional support and funding provided by KEEN, the student council will have a stronger foundation.
Milestones:
· Assign a delegate from each organization
· Increase communication between organizations
· Share common interests
· Break the barriers between student in different majors
· Share the I&E mindset with more students
STRATEGY # 3: RUNNING THE STUDENT ORGANIZATION EMPWR
Tactic # 1: Bring together the leaders of all organization on campus
Definition
Organizations on campus often are divided based the department from which their steam from. EMpwr strives to break the barriers between these organizations to help further the activities and ideas of other groups by using EMpwr as a means of communication between all. Not only is EMpwr ideals of innovation and entrepreneurial mindset capable of being incorporated into the majority of groups it also holds a large amount of resources that can be offered to those interested.
Milestone
Host by weekly update meetings
Help other organizations to reach their goals by funding, participating, or supporting
Tactic # 2: Find students of all majors
Definition
An organization is strong only when students take charge. The idea behind the organization is to incorporate students of all majors on campus to come together and help each other further their education, connections, and experience.
Milestone
Have a student from each department involved in EMpwr
Using the students of each department to further EMpwrs image
Tactic # 3: Host regular meeting
Definition
In order to keep students engaged in EMpwr, the interest of the majority of the student body must be addressed and incorporated into the activities the organization host. The most efficient way to accomplish this is to host weekly meetings where discussions of interest and pursuits will guide the forward direction of EMpwr.
Milestone
100% attendance from members
Tactic # 4: Organize an E-board
Definition
Organizations need a leading executive board to keep track of all the logistics that an organization must deal with. EMpwrs E-Board would consist of two oo-presidents, a treasurer, a secretary, a societies chair, and two programming chairs.
Milestone
Vote in semesterly/ yearly position holder
Use the positions of the E-Board to bring interest to the university
Tactic # 5: ' 'Co-host events that raise awareness about innovation and entrepreneurial mindsets on & off campus
Definition
Organizing events that embrace the ideals/goals of two organizations helps both parties both in publicity and in interesting the student body. Keeping EMpwrs activities and work on the radar of not only students on campus but also the community outside of campus brings greater opportunities to the organization.
Milestone
Hosting events with organization of all different types
Incorporate ideas/ events of other educational organization with EMpwr
Use the needs of the community to create events in order to help students gather experience
Tactic '# 6: Create Sustenance for other groups
Definition
Organizations on campus seem to go through periods of greatness and insignificance. The idea of EMpwr is to use the grants given by KEEN to help organizations not only maintain their clubs but also create steps that will empower student to take up to role of leaders for the organizations.
Milestone Observe the transition of leaders within organizations
UIF FIT Inspiration Videos
Florida Tech #uifresh Orientation Event: https://youtu.be/VDidpwgOpBo
Related Links
Florida Institute of Technology
Fall 2015 Leadership Circle
Spring 2016 Leadership Circle
Spring 2017 Leadership Circle
Related links
