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School:Iona University

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= Promoting Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship =

Iona College is a private university located 22 miles outside of Midtown Manhattan in New Rochelle, New York. Iona has recently renamed its school of business after Robert LaPenta, who donated $17.5 million for the business school’s reconstruction. With the LaPenta School of Business being the main attraction at Iona, often, it's easier for students to intertwine their business mindsets/endeavors with entrepreneurship and innovation. Outside of the business school, there are departments in which an entrepreneurial mindset is also encouraged such as Arts and Science.

Iona offers a wide selection of courses that can be a foundational step for the students innovative process. Introduction to Acting and Delicious Chemistry are two classes at Iona that if one has an entrepreneurial approach, can be used to build one’s personal brand and even start their own business. Digital Production is another course within the Mass Communications department in which it teaches one how to be a producer and/or edit video footage. With an entrepreneurial approach, one can use the skills learned from these courses to innovate within their chosen field.

Furthermore, Iona College has workshops hosted by the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, such as 3D Printing and Storytelling. 3D printing is a relatively new technology that disrupts the traditional way of prototyping. 3D printers can be used for making gadgets out of a PLA filament. In addition to the 3D workshops, the Hynes Institute also offers Arduino workshops where students learn to interact with different open-sourced electronic objects.

Moreover, we have inspirational events that encourage entrepreneurs to pursue their aspirations whole heartedly and despite failure, to persevere. A GaelTalk with J.C. Polonia was an event in which he explained the ups and downs of his social entrepreneurial journey, ultimately providing us with wisdom, and advice on how to move forward after defeat. Another inspirational event we had was when representatives from Pidney Bowes discussed blockchain in our incubator space, GaelVentures. Both events were hosted by the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The Hynes Institute also hosts events by the English Department where Janet Mock was interviewed by Professor Timothy Lyle about her recent book and her personal entrepreneurial journey.

The entrepreneurial mindset has recently amplified at Iona in which multiple new entrepreneurship and innovation courses have been introduced to our students this semester. Introduction into Ideation and Design Thinking, Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Practice and Mindset, as well as Ethics and Entrepreneurial Leadership are 3 courses that have boosted entrepreneurial thinking throughout campus. We also have 5 new graduate courses that study Ideation and Design Thinking, Business Modeling, Financing and Sustaining Entrepreneurial Ventures, and a Studio Course that facilitates the process of developing an entrepreneurial venture, from idea to launch, with the help and support of Iona College’s incubator space GaelVentures.

We also have extracurricular clubs that promote entrepreneurship as well. The Collegiate Entrepreneurship Organization, formerly known as Iona’s Entrepreneurship Club, gives students the ability to network with like minded peers from different focus areas. This helps students build teams in which each person can effectively contribute under a role.

The Iona Innovation Challenge and the Pizza Pitch Competition were two campus wide competitions in which students could pitch their business/entrepreneurial ideas to a panel of judges. This gave students a “Shark Tank” like experience where they could get feedback on their ideas and prepare for future opportunities.

The Idea Hackathon hosted by the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation was a successful event as well. Students were able to develop skills in problem solving, design thinking and collaboration. There were also many alumni and potential mentors present for student to obtain knowledge from.

For students to tap into their full potential, a variety of courses are necessary to understand what type of entrepreneurial journey one will embark upon. Some hands-on courses at Iona include Biochemistry Laboratory where students experiment chemically in order to create new concoctions such as cologne, perfume, etc.  Website design is another hands-on course where students spend part of the semester learning how to construct their own website, and other parts of the semester applying what they’ve learned to actually building their own website that serves a purpose.  Introduction into Ideation and Design Thinking with the Hynes Institute promotes problem solving and prototyping as well, prompting students to think entrepreneurially not just from a business standpoint.

Spaces at Iona where students can prototype, collaborate, and innovate are GaelVentures, our school’s incubator space, Ryan Library, that has private rooms for discussion and ideation, and Arrigoni Library, which also has private spaces for discussion, innovation, and technological creation.

Internship opportunities are not scarce at Iona. Being less than 22 miles from Mid-Town Manhattan, world-class internships and job opportunities are within reach. There are opportunities outside of New York City as well such as Larchmont Community Television, in which their Vice President of the Board of Directors Michael Witsch teaches at Iona, and NBC Universal which is in Connecticut, just a train ride away. The opportunities at Iona College are limitless, and with an entrepreneurial mindset, one can take advantage of Iona’s resources and embark on a journey to success.

= Encouraging Faculty Innovation and Entrepreneurship =

== Hynes Faculty Fellowship Program ==

The purpose of this program is to allow full-time Iona faculty with the opportunity to cultivate and enact learning innovations that align with the mission of the Hynes Institute. Faculty will implement learning innovations through experiential exercises, design thinking, incorporating entrepreneurial subject matter and innovative teaching methods into an existing course, and establishing a new course in any discipline. Faculty also have the opportunity to start a student club or work with an existing club to develop a project, organize a co-curricular program such as a speaker event, organize a student workshop, and engage in service learning projects in relation to entrepreneurship.

== Lunch & Learn ==

1. The purpose of this series is to establish and maintain faculty members and administrators engagement in entrepreneurship. Many of these series include workshops, speaker events, and experiential learning exercises.

= Actively Supporting the University Technology Transfer Function =

N/A

= Facilitating University-Industry Collaboration =

IonaCollege is proud to partner with over 100 industry professionals across nine different departments. These programs are offered through the college’s Office of Career Development. In addition to connecting students with these industry professionals, the Office of Career Development offers plenty of workshops. These workshop subjects range from Linkedin to networking.

= Engaging with Regional and Local Economic Development Efforts =

== USASBE, the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship ==

USASBE is an inclusive community that advances entrepreneurship education through impactful teaching, practice, and scholarship. This association also provides many opportunities to network with researchers, policy makers, educators, entrepreneurs, and management professionals. As of March 2017, Iona College was welcomed to their family of more than 600 college and university members. The Founding Program Director of the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Dr. Christoph Winkler, is also a contributing editor of Entrepreneurship Education & Pedagogy, a journal for USASBE.

== Iona StartupTree ==

StartupTree is the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation’s entrepreneurship network. On this platform, students can network with the Hynes Institute's network of entrepreneurs from many different industries, add their venture or project, and participate in various competitions and challenges.

= Landscape Canvas =

= [http://bit.ly/iclandscapecanvas http://bit.ly/iclandscapecanvas] =

= Landscape Canvas Presentation =

= [http://bit.ly/2QfSPCm http://bit.ly/2QfSPCm] =

[[Category:Universities]]

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School:Iona University

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