Project Name: The Long Game - UIF projects life continues

Project by Faculty Innovation Fellows Candidate Bozena Mierzejewska

Why is this project important to you, your department, & your Fellows?

Two cohorts of UIF fellows have created initiatives

Description

Create a “organizational unit” or semi-structured community that would continue building and evolving projects created by UIF students fellows. So far, we have two “projects” - DT workshop series for all freshman students and student run podcast series about innovation at Fordham. Third generation of UIF students is right now testing their prototype with the intention to be rolled out next month. In my project I would like to create a way how those projects can live on after the Fellows graduate.

Stakeholders served

Students
Gabelli School of Business (dean’s office)

Key Milestones

December 2020: propose a “unit” - club or a center - have it instituted (approved)
March 2021: make first meetings, structure and web visibility
June 2021: secure physical space on campus
September 2021: secure seed funding to support the “unit” going forward

An Innovation Portfolio

This project will include developing framework of running such “unit”, guidelines for participants (students or faculty) Project management tool template for continuing project or adding a new project Event planning and content sheets

I will share all materials developed for the unit's activities

Project Name: ‘Center’ for Innovation and Design Thinking

Project by Faculty Innovation Fellows Candidate Axel Roepnack'

Why is this project important to you, your department, & your Fellows?

This project is important…

to our organization (Gabelli School of Business, Fordham University) as our new Dean / leadership ranks the innovation as a top priority
to our department because we are involved with a variety of activities in the context of innovation and design thinking including several generations of University Innovation Fellows (5 years)
to me because I am passionate about the topic, seeing the big potential impact it can have for our students, faculty, administrators, alumni, local communities

Description

To build an ‘organizational unit, center, or space’ to support and enhance already existing and future innovation initiatives is of high importance for our organization (Gabelli School of Business, Fordham University) and a variety of stakeholders (see below). The topic of innovation (and design thinking) raised lately to high / strategic importance to our school (new dean) and our university (new president). Our school but especially our department already launched a variety of innovation initiatives, but we are lacking an ‘instrument (center)’ which could promote, support, enhance or even spearhead innovation education and initiatives. There are many activities related to the center are conceivable and one of the challenges of this project is the analysis of what is possible, wanted and implementable. To name a few: offering design thinking workshops to different stakeholders (students, faculty, leadership, administrators, alumni) educating on innovation topics like design thinking (incl. designing your life); supporting UIF, serving the UIF community in New York with regular events / meetups and more.

Stakeholders served

Graduate and undergraduate students
Faculty & administrators
Alumni
Dean’s office
UIF (5 generations)
UIF community in New York

Key Milestones

December 2023: Stakeholder interviews
March 2024: Define vision and mission of center
June 2024: Layout of core center activities, formulate ‘business plan’
September 2024: Apply to leadership for recognition as organizational unit
December 2024: Recognition as organizational unit and running the center to fulfil its mission
March 2025: Center Kick-off event with one day conference on innovation at Gabelli