2023 Cohort
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-1e8a966d-7fff-e50d-3857-dc859a4d89d4"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In addition to the E&I major and the Elon Innovation Challenge, Elon University has funded the Center for Design Thinking on campus. This center works with faculty to facilitate workshops for students to learn how to use design thinking in their classes, projects and throughout their lives. Danielle Lake, the director of the Center for Design Thinking, is working on partnering with different organizations on campus, such as the CREDE and the GLC, to bring the campus together and help educate students about how design thinking can be used to create solutions to social justice issues. This is also shown through their work with Design for America, a nationally recognized organization that uses the design thinking process to bring about social change within the Elon community. Additionally, students have the opportunity to educate their peers on design thinking processes and methods as Design Thinking Catalysts with the Elon By Design initiative. The Center for Design Thinking has also partnered with the Maker Hub to host an event called Pop-Up & Play. This event focuses on helping students bring play back into their lives by using design thinking methods. The Center for Design thinking also offers a one credit winter term course available to students of all majors.</span></span>
The Innovation Living Learning Community is offered to first year Innovation Scholar students. The Innovation Scholars program is a scholarship run out of the Doherty Center consisting of roughly 15 studnets students in each years cohort. These students are trained in team building, the entrepreneurial mindset, and eventually are guided in creating their own venture during their time at Elon. The Innovation LLC offers these students a place to fascilitate facilitate their experiences in the program and harness these new ideas as a unit. <span id="docs-internal-guid-1e8a966d-7fff-e50d-3857-dc859a4d89d4"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The residentially-based experience equips participants with a strong foundation for tackling global issues and exploring big ideas. Student Made Elon is a program through the Doherty Center at Elon that highlights students who have started their own businesses. This program works with the students to promote their business and is a great opportunity for any students who are already entrepreneurs. Student Made Elon also provides students with a tent at the Elon Farmer's Market if they want to sell their products to the community. Oaks Originals is another key entrepreneurial resource for Elon students. This initiative supports student entrepreneurs in establishing a variety of ventures. Student entrepreneurs can participate in several pop-up shops and workshops throughout the year to gain hands-on experience in an entrepreneurial ecosystem. A future collaboration between the School of Communications and Oaks Originals initiative is in the works to further engage a wide range of students in entrepreneurial opportunities. The partnership will connect communication students looking to gain experience with student entrepreneurs seeking to strengthen their brand identity.</span></span>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-1e8a966d-7fff-e50d-3857-dc859a4d89d4"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The recent addition of the Elon University Innovation Quad stands to further expand on-campus access to design thinking tools and practices. As these spaces are primarily oriented toward STEM fields, opportunities await in future development toward more interdisciplinary engagement with these innovative resources. </span></span><div><br /></div>
