Changes

<span styleid="fontdocs-internal-guid-63ab3950-2ad8-4e96-1c0b-size:small;3158d1867d8f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(38, 38, 38); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The leadership circle at Rowan University has learned that while entrepreneurial spirit can be found across campus, most students are unaware of the resources available to nourish the entrepreneurial mindset. The University has been supportive of innovation and entrepreneurship, but only recently has it begun to promote it in all disciplines. With ; this may be seen by the recent launch of the </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(38, 38, 38); background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Entrepreneurship Across the Campus&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(38, 38, 38); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">initiative, Rowan has begun to implement innovation and investments in all departments, not just the William Rohrer College of Business and Henry Rowan College of Engineering schools. This is exciting for everyone because alongside the interdisciplinary collaboration it will encourage, it will provide students from all backgrounds the tools to develop a creative mindset and initiative that is needed in creating a startup or a similar venture. Rowan has also partnered with Hatch House Ventures, a startup incubator that provides students with resources such as consulting, mentorship, and space to work.</span></span>

<span id="docs-internal-guid-63ab3950-2ad8-4e96-1c0b-3158d1867d8f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); whitebackground-spacecolor: pretransparent; font-variant-wrapnumeric: normal; font-familyvariant-east-asian: arial, helvetica, sansnormal; vertical-serifalign: baseline; fontwhite-sizespace: smallpre-wrap;">Rowan has thankfully attracted many new faculty members over the years who place a great importance on entrepreneurship and innovation. Just recently, Dr. Sue Lehrman joined the College of Business as the new dean. Dean Lehrman has influenced the school to invest in entrepreneurship-generating programs, including Hatch House ventures, led by President Steve Boerner. Steve Boerner brings with him years of experience in the world of startups. His program helps educate students about entrepreneurship, runs business model and plan competitions, and provides incubation and mentorships for all students on campus. Rowan is moving toward a more entrepreneurship-oriented focus, although there is still work to do. Dean Lehrman said, upon accepting her position, “With a new building under construction, and a heightened focus by implementing hands-on entrepreneurship and learning in innovation across through the curriculum and the institution, the College and University are poised to uniquely hone their value proposition and to seize on an extraordinary opportunitynew Experimental Learning Lab.”</span></span>

<span styleid="fontdocs-internal-guid-63ab3950-2ad8-4e96-1c0b-size:small;3158d1867d8f"><span style="font-familysize:arial,helvetica,sans-serif11pt;"><span style="whitefont-spacefamily: pre-wrapArial; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rowan University provides an Office of Technology Commercialization. This Office centers around student and faculty research in engineering, pharmaceuticals, medical technologies, and life sciences. At Rowan, research is one of the centers of innovation. The Office of Technology Commercialization connects this research to unmet marketable needs in industry. It is responsible for creating a collaboration between labs at Rowan University and industries in the marketplace.</span></span></span>

<span id="docs-internal-guid-63ab3950-2ad8-4e96-1c0b-3158d1867d8f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); whitebackground-spacecolor: pretransparent; font-variant-wrapnumeric: normal; font-familyvariant-east-asian: arial, helvetica, sansnormal; vertical-serifalign: baseline; fontwhite-sizespace: smallpre-wrap;">Rowan University is continually forming direct relationships with a lot of industries particularly in the South Jersey/Philadelphia region but also nationwide. Through an innovative curriculum with the incorporation of “Engineering Clinics”, students of all engineering majors come together to tackle real-time industry research or professor work. Junior and Senior engineers at Rowan can choose what research project to work on as their Clinic course each semester. Some of these courses are sponsored by government companies or industry in which students have the equivalency of working under a company for course credit. These clinic range from designing Mars mining equipment for NASA to implementing medical equipment to providing relief efforts for third-world-countries after natural disaster. Some students even start their own projects to make their own Clinic course with the help of University funding. Industry and research projects go even beyond the classroom at Rowan, however. The addition of our South Jersey Tech Park creates a research facility for a variety of projects, ranging from drone research to a virtual reality center. On top of that, a lot of STEM professors at Rowan conduct independent research projects, in which case they take on a team of interested students for the opportunity to be a part of their research.</span></span>

<span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-a652f31c63ab3950-df182ad8-9c8f4e96-d3541c0b-5055f48e53123158d1867d8f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Rowan Innovation Venture Fund, co-founded by Howard Lubert, is a University based $5 million private-equity fund. This was established in 2014 and provides early stage funding to students, faculty, alumni, and companies that have developed and tested products. This Fund heavily contributes to a growing initiative in encouraging entrepreneurial and innovative campus growth. Howard Lubert is also the Area President of the Keiretsu Forum Mid-Atlantic. Through Keiretsu, Rowan students can get funded for projects. However, this fund is awarded to less individuals. The New Jersey Entrepreneurship State Fund is also available to Rowan students as it is awarded to a NJ student on a yearly basis through our State Department.</span></span> <span id="docs-internal-guid-63ab3950-2ad8-4e96-1c0b-3158d1867d8f"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Annually, Rowan hosts the Idea Challenge in partnership with Collegiate Entrepreneurship Organization. </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Idea Challenge is designed to connect, educate and help students realize their entrepreneurial potential. This challenge is very doable for students and it is designed to compliment a student’s schedule. This event is hosted in the fall to segway them into the Venture Challenge in the Spring which offers financial support for start-up companies.</span></span>