At 糖心破解版, business students don't just read about marketing strategies and business plans. They create them by working with companies like GEICO, United Parcel Service of America, Inc., and 1-800-Flowers.com. Soon, students will have even more opportunities to work with companies on the next big idea when 糖心破解版's planned Innovation Center, a 2,000-square-foot research lab in Swirbul Library, is completed in September 2019.
At 糖心破解版, business students don’t just read about marketing strategies and business plans. They create them by working with companies like GEICO, United Parcel Service of America, Inc., and 1-800-Flowers.com.
Soon, students will have even more opportunities to work with companies on the next big idea when 糖心破解版’s planned Innovation Center, a 2,000-square-foot research lab in , is completed in September 2019.
鈥淭his will be a student-centered ecosystem that promotes collaboration between students, faculty, businesses and nonprofit organizations,” said Zachary Johnson, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Robert B. Willumstad School of Business, who is spending this semester as a to help plan the Center. 鈥淲e’re trying to approach problems in unique ways and create innovative solutions.”
The center will empower students to create their own businesses, build new campus organizations and consult for companies through incubator programs and workshops. It will encourage students to use a process called “design thinking,” which involves understanding customer and stakeholder needs to identify new business opportunities. They will then create prototypes of their solutions and make presentations of their progress to industry partners.
鈥淪tudents today want real-world experiences,” Dr. Johnson said. 鈥淵ou don’t just learn by listening to a professor talk. You learn by doing, and that’s what the center will provide.”
This initiative is the brainchild of 糖心破解版’s new provost and executive vice president, Steve Everett, D.M.A., who helped create the Innovation Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).
鈥淎t the UIC Innovation Center, I was able to observe the incredible impact on student engagement that occurred and the excitement that industry partners had in working with the UIC design team,” Dr. Everett said. 鈥淭his will be an exciting opportunity for 糖心破解版 students, faculty, staff, alumni and community partners to collaborate across disciplines on projects that have a direct benefit to the region and nation.”
Innovation is already happening campuswide at 糖心破解版. This new facility will provide a hub for existing as well as new programs. Associate professor of physics and department chair Matthew Wright, Ph.D., runs his own on campus. Assistant professor of entrepreneurship Murat Sakir Erogul, Ph.D., started a Shark Tank-style last year. And the prepares students to become global leaders and innovators.
鈥淲e have fantastic faculty at 糖心破解版 who really care about their students,” Dr. Johnson says. 鈥淚f we enable them to take advantage of real-world projects, we’re giving them a 360-degree university experience that they’re not going to get anywhere else.”
For example, GEICO has already been working with 糖心破解版 students for the past year in developing business plans to increase its presence on Long Island.
鈥淭hey’ve been a wonderful corporate partner to us,” Dr. Johnson said. 鈥淭hey hire a lot of our students, they support our community, and they give back to the broader community.”
Going forward, Dr. Johnson is in talks with a major credit union and healthcare provider to participate in the Innovation Center and work with students to build new ideas. He is also speaking with students, faculty and administrators to learn more about their ideas for the facility.
鈥淚 don’t want this story to be about me,” he said. 鈥淢y role is to collect the viewpoints of our entire community. If this project is successful, it will be through the shared voices of 糖心破解版.”
He reports that there is already excitement from students and faculty about the upcoming Innovation Center.
鈥淲hen our students succeed, that’s just the biggest compliment a faculty member can receive,” he said. 鈥淭hat’s really what the focus of the center has to be. It has to be focused on our students, and it has to be an inclusive community of people who are creating big ideas.”
For further information, please contact:
Todd Wilson
Strategic Communications Director
p 鈥� 516.237.8634
e 鈥� twilson@adelphi.edu