School:La Salle University

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La Salle Logo .jpgUniversity Overview 

La Salle University is a Catholic university in the tradition of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. To a diverse community of learners, La Salle University offers a rigorous curriculum and co-curricular experiences designed to help students gain theoretical and practical knowledge, deepen their ethical sensibilities, and prepare for a lifetime of continuous learning, professional success, and dedicated service.

As a Catholic university rooted in the liberal arts tradition, La Salle challenges students to contemplate life’s ultimate questions as they develop their faith, engage in a free search for truth, and explore their full human potential. As a Lasallian university, named for St. John Baptist de La Salle, patron saint of teachers, La Salle promotes excellence in teaching and scholarship, demonstrates respect for each person, nurtures mentoring relationships, and encourages authentic community.

As an urban university, La Salle invites students to enhance their academic experience by immersing themselves in the rich resources of Philadelphia and the region. All members of our community are called to maintain a heightened sensitivity to those marginalized within society as they practice civic engagement, provide leadership with a global perspective, and contribute to the common good

St. John Baptist De La Salle 

De La Salle is our patron saint and  is the founder of a congregation of laymen whose sole ministry is education.  He was proclaimed a saint in the Catholic Church in 1900 and named the patron of teachers in 1950.  He was raised in Reims, France, a son of a privileged family who gave up his wealth and status to live with the poor.  During his life, he established a network of gratuitous schools for poor boys.  His writings have influenced educational practice, school management, and teacher preparation for more than 300 years.

University History 

Founded in 1863 in the Lower Kensington section of Philadelphia, the University is the largest and second oldest Lasallian college or university in the United States.  At the time of its opening, it was Philadelphia’s only Catholic college. The college was initially established to serve the sons of immigrant populations in a religiously divided city, providing them with a quality education that helped them to assimilate into American society.  The University has conferred more than 60,000 degrees.  La Salle became fully co-educational in 1970 and achieved university status in 1984.  It remains fully committed to the city and region with extensive community service and service learning initiatives.

Student Innovation & Entrepreneurship 

La Salle University is a strong supporter of innovation and entrepreneurship. La Salle embodies the spirit of entrepreneurship by embodying the spirit on campus and in the La Salle Center of Entrepreneurship. La Salle believes that in today’s competitive economic environment, people with entrepreneurial spirits will not only succeed in their chosen careers but also will drive business creation, growth, and job opportunities for the larger business community.

Center of Entrepreneurship (LCE) 

If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, you can find the support and inspiration you need through the La Salle Center for Entrepreneurship (LCE). Through mentoring, networking, and experiential learning, you’ll discover how to flex your innovative muscles, build leadership skills, explore the business landscape, and take measured risks to achieve your dreams. In addition, alumni and faculty will give back through mentoring as well as pursue their own entrepreneurial goals.

DIY 3D Printer 

After being given the opportunity to build a DIY 3D printer, an interdisciplinary team of students was united. Diversity gave the team the ability to quickly adapt to working with different types of people, just as they would in the real world. The team also acquired the necessary skills required to assemble a 3D printer. Students strained themselves through the tedious assembly, wiring, and coding of the printer. Currently, the trial and error testing of the 3D printer is in motion.

Open Minds Program 

Due to our massive success in the Spring of 2016, Open Minds was approached by member of the Colonial School District to implement a similar version of our current Open Minds Competition. The goal was to conducted it in a way that was more comprehensive and welcoming to high school student. As consequence, although, this was the very first instance in which this particular set of student had ever been exposed to innovation at first hand. Overall, the student’s response was very positive and enthusiastic, which we believe means they wanted to learn more what is innovation and how it happens. As a matter fact, several student that participated, ask members of the High School Colonial School District that they want to participate in another Open Minds Competition. For the high School students Open Minds was their one in a life time opportunity to put into practice what they learn classroom setting and apply it in real life.

The Open Minds program is a 3-Day competition/ Startup opportunity for students to use and develop their innovation and entrepreneurship skills while generating ideas based on the concept of sustainability. The Open Minds Innovation Competition will be available to all students at La Salle University. This competition will yield individual cash prizes, paid internships, and winning teams will be sent to the NCIIA Open conference in Washington DC in March 2015 in addition to receiving a monetary as a group. The competition will begin in February 2015.

Maker Space 

The maker space at LaSalle University is a place where great ideas can be made into reality. Students can adventure through the world of 3D printing while drinking a cup of coffee from our luxurious Keurig coffee maker. The space containing fun chairs and even a couch to ensure students are completely comfortable while doing work or just hanging out. If that wasn’t enough, the maker space is equipped with a flat screen television and Apple TV to foster innovation by constantly playing Ted Talks and things alike.

Innovation Lab 

La Salle University’s newest project is the birth of the Innovation Lab. The Innovation Lab will be a place of creation, collaboration, and innovation. It will encourage students to socialize and collaborate with their peers. The innovation lab will also give students the proper resources needed for their creativity to show and be put into action.

La Salle ENACTUS 

Enactus (Entrepreneurial Action Us) is an international organization that connects student, academic and business leaders through entrepreneurial-based projects that empower people to transform opportunities into real, sustainable progress for themselves and their communities. La Salle Enactus is the premier student entrepreneurship group on campus. La Salle Enactus has lead the idea of entrepreneurship for over 15 years. In 2014, La Salle Enactus ranked Top 40 in the United States.

Guided by academic advisors and business experts, the student leaders of Enactus create and implement community empowerment projects around the globe. The experience not only transforms lives, it helps students develop the kind of talent and perspective that are essential to leadership in an ever-more complicated and challenging world.

Integrated Science, Business and Technology (ISBT) Program  

Students in the Integrated Science, Business, and Technology (ISBT) Department study the process of innovation.  Based on a sound framework of organizational dynamics, ISBT majors learn how new scientific discoveries develop into marketable products and services through collaborative business practices.

Large and small organizations rely on the process of research and development for the development of new products, the creation of new jobs and facilities, the increase of operational efficiency, and the reduction of waste. Traditional majors in the natural sciences, engineering, and business become experts in each of these separate disciplines. ISBT majors, however, become interdisciplinary leaders, having expert knowledge of how the natural sciences, engineering, and business divisions work together to define and solve complex problems.

ISBT majors share a common experience the first two years with courses that focus on the foundational concepts of physics, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and the life sciences as well as the organizational concepts of collaboration, project management, business analysis, and system dynamics. They then concentrate in one or both critical sectors of Biotechnology (BIO) or Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) that culminates in a senior thesis capstone experience.

ISBT majors use the computer throughout their studies as a tool to gather, present, and analyze data. They work in teams, in class, in the laboratory, and outside of class.  Their professors encourage and support them in the pursuit internship and co-op opportunities.When they graduate, they secure positions in industry, government, and nonprofit organizations where they are recognized as analysts, problem solvers, decision-makers, and leaders.

Minor in Entrepreneurship 

Obtaining a minor in entrepreneurship at La Salle helps students identify and exercise their latent entrepreneurial spirit. This minor differs from most other minors and majors in that the primary goal is not merely the acquisition of knowledge and the primary form of instruction is not lecture-based. Instead, the minor provides students with an opportunity to develop skills such as creative thinking, opportunity identification, problem solving, communication, comprehensive business planning and task execution, leadership, and collaboration.

La Salle to host UIF Regional Meetup 

Innovate. Integrate. Inspire.


Have you ever wanted to visit the City of Brotherly Love? Calling all UI Fellows near and far! Here's your chance to visit the City of Philadelphia and experience the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in our community. At the Northeast University Innovation Fellows Meetup at La Salle, you will learn innovative strategies that will propel your ideas and goals to new heights. You will then learn how to implement these ideas and goals at your university so you can make an impact unlike ever before. Most importantly, we will inspire you to believe in your ideas and take action so that you can inspire others. Snag your tickets now and bring your collection of thinking hats!

P.S. - If you want to eat and to collaborate with other fellows in the community, we think you're going to love this meetup.

Innovative Curricular Courses

Business 100: Business Perspectives

Business Perspectives is an all encompassing entry level business course that exposes students to all aspects of business and how they work together. The goal of this course is to provide students with knowledge of: how to work in teams, how to create a business plan, and how to use the Internet and library databases to research information for a business plan. Individual career exploration is also facilitated through an individual career development portfolio project.

Biology/ ISBT 474: Life Sciences Innovation

Translational science is a relatively new discipline that works to move basic research and technology out of the laboratory into commercial ventures that allow all people to benefit from the discoveries. This discipline is dependent upon the integration of science and business i.e. scientists and business people must work closely together to create successful commercial ventures. Unfortunately the integration of science/technology and business has been slow to occur within institutions providing undergraduate and graduate training for the next generation of scientists and entrepreneurs. To address this gap, Life Science Innovation was developed. The course was created in partnership with the Wistar Institute to provide students with hands-on science/technology commercialization projects leveraging existing intellectual property (IP) from Wistar. Teams of three students will select Wistar IP/technology that Wistar believes has commercial potential.Teams will include students from different majors. The students will familiarize themselves with the underlying science/technology by directly interacting with the inventor scientist, identify the problem(s) the science/technology addresses and define key commercialization issues such as IP, market opportunity, competition, regulatory pathways, and potential customers. At the end of the course the students will develop a report and presentation that includes the scientific merit, value proposition, and overall commercial feasibility of the science/technology. The final report and presentation will also be directed to potential investors, explaining how much funding would be required for commercialization and how that funding would be used. The goals of this course are to: 1) Provide students with a hands-on, real-world life science entrepreneurship opportunity 2) Expose students to cutting-edge, translational science research 3) Develop an integrative understanding of the innovation lifecycle. 

 

FACULTY INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP 

The La Salle Center for Entrepreneurship (LCE) also provides support and engagement opportunities for alumni and faculty.The Center for Entrepreneurship has tailored programs that meets today business development needs. These needs may be:

·       Working directly with the Center’s Executive Director and faculty on a business concept or collecting advice.

·       Getting student assistance with market research, product development, business planning, or other activities.

·       Accessing the extensive La Salle Entrepreneurs Network of experienced business professionals, investors, legal counsel, and providers of professional services.

THE LASALLIAN DIFFERENCE & ACADEMIC CURRICULUM  

The Lasallian difference is personal. When you become a La Salle student, you join a community that includes teachers, scholars, and mentors who truly care about you,  your academic and professional success, your intellectual and spiritual growth, and your potential to make a difference in the world. La Salle is one of six colleges or universities in the United States founded in the tradition of St. John Baptist de La Salle, the patron saint of teachers and founder of the Christian Brothers. At La Salle, you gain the skills and knowledge you need to succeed after you leave campus, and the values and traditions that will stay with you when you do.

La Salle University is currently taking an initiative approach to make collegian education more affordable to all students. La Salle University calls this initiative "An Affordable Path for All". Furthermore, La Salle is addressing the problem of the escalating cost of college by resetting their undergraduate tuition from $40,400 to $28,800. This 29% reduction will open to door for many new students to tke part in what La Salle has to offer. This tuition reset will take effect in the Fall 2017.</

Academic Mission (School of Business)

La Salle University’s School of Business offers educational programs that prepare students for a purposeful life by integrating Lasallian values with current business management skills. Through its faculty, curriculum, extracurricular activities, and relationships with the greater Philadelphia and national business communities, it provides a value-centered educational community as the locus for its educational programs. Within this context, the School of Business seeks to provide an appropriate blend of contemporary business theory and real-world practice, placing paramount importance on teaching and on learning enriched by scholarly research and professional activity.

The program leading to a Bachelor of Science degree in business consists of 120 credits (minimum of 39 courses) for business administration, business systems and analytics, finance, international business, management and leadership, and marketing majors, and 128 credits (minimum of 41 courses) for accounting majors. The liberal arts and science studies and business foundation courses tend to be concentrated in the first two years, and the professional studies in the last two years.

Academic Mission (School of Arts & Sciences)

La Salle University’s School of Arts and Sciences offers general or liberal arts programs  in science and mathematics. Within these two areas the student may further specialize in a major field of study. In the liberal arts, the Bachelor of Arts degree is offered in American Studies, Art History, the Classics, Communication, Criminal Justice, Economics, Education, English, French, German, History, Italian, Philosophy, Political Science, Religion, Russian, Sociology, and Spanish. Concentration in the science area may lead to a B.A. degree in Bio-chemistry, Chemistry, Computer Science, Digital Arts and Multimedia Design (DArt), Environmental Science, Mathematics, or Psychology; or a B.S. degree in Biology, Computer Science, Geology, Information Technology, Mathematics, or Integrated Science, Business, and Technology.

The School of Arts & Sciences also offers programs designed as preparation for health professions, law, public administration, teaching, social work, and work in criminal justice. The Bachelor of Social Work degree is conferred upon Social Work graduates.

Academic Mission (School of Nursing)

Nursing is an art, science, and practice profession which provides nursing services to diverse individuals and groups. Nurses value the relationships between nurses and those for whom they care. Nursing services aim at facilitating the health of people in many settings, thus fulfilling a contract between society and the profession. Nurses’ primary interests are human responses to health, illness, and healing. Nurses carry out many roles when providing nursing care and increasingly support nursing interventions based on evidence.

The nursing community at La Salle respects the shared humanity of the people they serve and recognizes the potential for healing within the person, integrating mind, body, and spirit. Students bring experiences to the learning environment while actively engaging in a transformative process of continuing development as ethical, caring practitioners. The teaching- learning environment fosters scholarship, collegiality, respect, and collaboration among learners and teachers, resulting in informed service to others and the profession.

La Salle’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program prepares its graduates to qualify for the National Council Licensure Examination (state board nursing examination) to become registered professional nurses and to practice as members of the nursing profession. The four-year, full-time, 126-credit program leading to the BSN provides the student with a strong foundation in the liberal arts and biological sciences in preparation for 14 nursing major courses, nine of which include clinical practice components in a variety of health-care settings.

BUILDING THE FUTURE OF LASALLIAN BUSINESS

In January of 2016, La Salle University opened the new school of business, Founder's Hall. This $35 million dollar project offers gathering places and technology-equipped breakout rooms where students can converse with faculty, other students, and business executives. Spaces are designed to facilitate the collaborative learning and teamwork environment that is necessary in today’s business world. This building symbolizes La Salle’s commitment to innovation & entrepreneurship. Due in part to the new building opening, La Salle has seen a rapid spike in enrollment as students look to make the next steps in their academic careers.

LA SALLE UNIVERSITY LANDSCAPE CANVAS 

RELATED LINKS 

La Salle Student Priorities

University Innovation Fellows

Spring 2018:

Kathiana Cajuste

Roger Malerba

Spring 2017:

Luis Almonte

Nicholas Dingler

Isaac Prentice

Spring 2016:

Terry Li

Joanna Szyszkiewicz

Spring 2015:

Kenneth Brewer

Trans Lualhati

Onesimus Morrison