Changes

School:Villanova University

1,960 bytes added, 10 years ago

no edit summary

Students are active inside and outside of the classroom when it comes to advancing their sense of entrepreneurship. Formally, Villanova offers two minor programs, and a certificate program for sophomores in entrepreneurship. A common minor for engineers is '''Engineering Entrepreneuship. '''This minor incorporates technology into a curriculum which gives students the basic tools they need to create and develop a marketable product. Students in this course start with the basics of product ideation and follow a sequence that brings them through the final steps of marketing their product and securing their intellectual property.

For business and arts students, Entrepreneurship is available as a minor and geared towards teaching students the business fundamentals involved in a starting your own venture. This minor pays special tribute to the significance employers place on intrapreneurial ability regardless of position in the company. These classes encourage Villanovans to think creatively and hone in on entrepreneurial skills such as creativity and innovation even within any organization. Another popular option amongst business and arts students is the '''ICE CaPS '''certificate program for sophomores. This programs lets students meet with mentors, chat with CFOs of start-ups, and collaborate with other students, creating a very hands-on curriculum that enhances their entrepreneurial abilities.

Another popular option among sophomore students is the '''ICE CaPS '''certificate program This programs lets students meet with mentors, chat with CFOs of start-ups, and collaborate with other students, creating a very hands-on curriculum that enhances their entrepreneurial abilities. Beyond these for-credit opportunities, there are a number of on extra-curricular displays of student entrepreneurship. Villanova held its second annual '''TEDx''' in the fall of 2013 and it was a great success. A number [[File:VillanovaTedx.png|thumb~~|VillanovaTedx.png~~]]of short speeches given by students, graduates and faculty members revolving around the theme of “Create, Innovate, Inspire” were astoundingly thought-and-conversation provoking. Between conferences, as is customary with TED events, the inspired audience was able to network and connect.

The '''Villanova Student Entrepreneurship Competition '''provides a more hands-on approach to entrepreneurial education. This student-only competition focused on making the world a better place was founded in 2009 by graduate engineering students Ronald Warzoha and Timothy Montalbano, and it operates with the '''Beyond Ideas: The Art of Entrepreneurship'''group (See Faculty Entrepreneurship). The competition allows students to showcase ideas by pitching them initially on the '''IdeaBounce'''page. This publicizes their idea and shares it with the Villanova network, helping them hunt down any resources necessary to further their idea (and can be done by anyone at any time even outside of the VSEC competition). For further stages of the competition the students pitch their idea, create a video, executive summaries, posters and financial tables to persuade a panel of judges. The top teams walk away with $10,000 total in prizes.

Another prevalent competition is the '''Villanova''' '''Innovation Chase.''' For this competition three teams of engineering students go through a preliminary round at Villanova in which they come up with a solution to a problem- last year it was an on-campus transportation problem. The students work through the process of researching, designing, prototyping and presenting their solutions to a panel of judges. The top two teams that survive this qualifier travel to the annual '''Chicago Innovation Chase''' intercollegiate-student entrepreneurship competition.

A number of these small-team oriented competitions exist on Villanova’s campus (multiple others are mentioned in the University-Industry Collaboration section). Though they allow an incredible, immersive [[File:VillanovaImaginationquest.png|thumb~~|VillanovaImaginationquest.png~~]]experience for their participants, the quantity of students who can be active in them is limited. To mitigate this problem Villanova developed '''Imagination Quest.''' This is an on-campus competition that is open to all students and takes place over 24 hours. Students enter as individuals then form teams. As the name suggests, they are then sent on a “quest” to discover opportunities, develop ideas, designs, and produce a business pitch, all within the 24 hour time limit. Throughout the process, students can present to a judging panel and receive feedback from mentors. This competition lets students explore, imagine, and be creative in a very fast-paced, high energy level environment. <span style="font-family:georgia,serif;"Similar to the Imagination Quest is the '''Andriod Hackathon''', hoste once a semester and is usually co-hosted with corporate sponsors. There are two prompts, one general and one corporate specific. Each prompt has a separtate prize. The entire challenge takes place in a span of 48 hours. There is also the '''Spark Competition''', a two day program where students focus on solving real world problems brought forward by industry partners. Student work along side members of industry to find solutions.

Beyond available courses and competitions, Villanova is also home to student-run clubs such as the '''Villanova Entrepreneurial Society'''. The Entrepreneurial Society works with existing entrepreneurship programs and tries to spread as much information as possible across campus concerning events, opportunities, speakers, etc. A large project they have taken on is the creation of a directory of Villanova community members who are involved in entrepreneurial ventures.

For students who have innovative attitudes but are interested less in the business side of entrepreneurship and more in social entrepreneurship, there are opportunities for this as well. Namely, '''Engineers Without [[File:VillanovaEwb.jpg|thumb~~|VillanovaEwb.jpg~~]]Borders''' and '''Business Without Borders''' exist primarily as philanthropic organizations which improve the world through innovative and creative action. The Business Without Borders group was created in 2009 and has been working in Nicaragua, Kenya and the Philippines on international development projects. More locally in the Philadelphia area, the students have united with the IRS and nonprofits to help low income people with tax returns. The group is largely inspired by entrepreneur Blake Mycoskie- the founder of the for-profit company TOM’s Shoes that is famous for its non-profit subsidiary and philanthropic initiative. In the past, the group has brought him to campus to speak to students about the potential for uniting profit and social benefit.

Engineers Without Borders has a similar, global initiative. This group travels to various locations and countries to implement sustainable engineering projects. Currently, they are working with the native Embera people in Panama. The Embera village is only accessible by dugout canoe, and the villagers struggle to communicate with others because of unsophisticated electrical systems. Villanovans in the group are working on innovative solutions to bring power to the tribe and improve their communication systems.

</div>

= Faculty Entrepreneurship =

<div>

= University Technology Transfer Functions =

<div>

[[File:Villanovamdl.png|thumb~~|Villanovamdl.png~~]]Villanova currently has an '''Office of Sponsored Research Program (OSRP) '''that has potential for expansion'''. '''This program helps students who are looking to patent an idea or license a product. They facilitate the process in accordance with the University policies for intellectual property, and assist in the student’s search for external resources and sponsors.

</div><div>

~~Other resources where students~~ Students can connect and collaborate ~~include~~ in the '''Multidisciplinary Design Lab, '''which has a 3D printer available, and the '''Machine Shop''', which offers a number of machines and materials available for the development of prototypes. Also, the law school library has a meeting environment for students.  The college of Engineering has recently renovated two labs as '''Interdisciplinary Innovation Labs'''. These rooms contain smart technology, open space, and are available for all Villanova Students to utilize. Members of the '''Engineering Entrepreneurship Minor''' meet in those labs for their classes. The layouts of these rooms are used to help inspire creativity in the students who utilize them. The college of Engineering also plans to ~~use~~ expand the building to include a new'''Student Learning Commons''' and '''Innovation Wing.''' These areas will be designed to help students realize their fullest potential. The School of Businesshas recently undergone some renovations. There is a more open flow in the building, to help students feel more comfortable and let their ideas prosper more. There is a new '''Innovation Classroom, '''which has glass doors and whiteboard walls. Students pursuing an '''Entrepreneurship Minor,''' through the business school meet there, but when class is not in session, the room is open to all students. Villanova has recently built the '''C.A.V.E.''', a virtual reality room that is open to all students and is using KEEN Foundation grants to create an ~~idea accelerator~~ '''Idea Accelerator '''space and a tinkerer’s lab . There will be workshops and speakers for student interested in ~~the future~~pursuing an entrepreneurial path.

</div>

= University-Industry Collaboration =

= Conclusion =

Villanova University has an incredible amount to offer its students. From courses, clubs and competitions, an incredibly talented faculty and number of available mentors, to external resources offered by businesses and more. Students have everything they need to let their inner innovator grow and flourish.  Just a few years ago, such entrepreneurial activity would not have been so evident. Thanks to a grant by the KEEN Foundation, the Engineering Entrepreneurship Program and many of the competitions have been born and sponsored within the past few years. Furthermore, due to the efforts of the Beyond Ideas Committee all of the colleges have been recently linked to create an influx of entrepreneurial communication and networking across the school. This rapid progression of entrepreneurial development at Villanova continues with no sign of slowing. Within the next few years Villanova hopes to offer an idea accelerator, a pre-capstone experience and tinkerer’s lab, an innovator and artist in residence, an expansion of the OSRP, a relocation for the ICE Center, a Forum for Innovation, Research and Entrepreneurship, additional summer faculty workshops, and more. Villanovans recognize the importance of developing their innovative and creative abilities and look forward to expanding the entrepreneurial offerings available on and off campus.

= Landscape Canvas =

EKoehr

30

edits