Entrepreneurship Across the Curriculum’ - Kettering University

What makes an innovator and an entrepreneur? What can universities do to prepare students for an economy that depends on innovation? What learning will lead to the creation of new jobs? And how do you develop and enhance entrepreneurship and innovation capacities through an entire university?

Ask Kettering University.

“Kettering has developed the intellectual and practical capacity to be the national leader in the preparation of entrepreneurs and innovators, who also have exceptional technical and scientific knowledge,” said Dr. Michael Harris, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs. “We are building on our tradition and heritage to do it. We have the intellectual capacity to shift our learning from the needs of a knowledge economy paradigm to an entrepreneur and innovation paradigm.

“We began this shift several years ago,” Harris explained. “This year we developed, designed and implemented a program that is cutting edge, current and like no other program in the nation — ‘Entrepreneurship Across the Curriculum’ — that involves the professional development of our entire faculty and staff.

“The results will be a learning experience through the entire academic experience for all our students. Our program develops a graduate who sees the world not only as a technical expert, but also as an innovator. This program is supported by a grant from the Kern Family Foundation,” Harris added.

“Our faculty and staff are the key,” said Dr. Massoud Tavakoli, professor of Mechanical Engineering and the provost’s coordinator of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Kettering’s first cohort of 20 faculty members recently completed the first “Entrepreneurship Across the Curriculum” workshop that promises to be a national model for other universities. The second workshop will start in July.

Next, these faculty members will teach a module within a class that incorporates the workshop’s concepts, followed by an assessment of student learning from the module. “Our vision is to continue the workshops until the majority of Kettering’s faculty and staff members are exposed to the entrepreneurial mindset,” Tavakoli added.

Located in Flint, Mich., Kettering University is the home of the country’s most advanced professional co-op program and a national leader in preparing innovators and entrepreneurs. For more, visit: www.kettering.edu