HACKATHON: REIMAGINE For the second year, Hackathon: Reimagine united students from across campus in tackling challenges that impact the campus and surrounding communities. Over the course of 24 hours, 90 students from 25 different majors came together in February 2023 to brainstorm creative solutions for issues that included on-campus navigation, personal information privacy and security, sports health and technology, and student debt resolution. The hackathon provides an opportunity for students to utilize their skills and knowledge while fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. By leveraging technology and design thinking, students work together to create innovative solutions that benefit the campus community. Computer science student Mackenzie Pollock participated with the Women in Technology student group for a second year. Pollock shared that she “enjoyed the atmosphere of the problem-solving competition while being a part of the process to develop a unique product from idea to reality” during the 24-hour event.
CONNECTING WITH UNIVERSITIES ACROSS THE NATION The University Innovation Fellows program is a global initiative that empowers student leaders from diverse backgrounds to inspire and support each other, with the goal of increasing campus engagement in innovation, entrepreneurship, creativity and design thinking. Led by Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, the program trains student fellows to design and implement initiatives that address the needs of their campus community, foster an entrepreneurial mindset and create a culture of innovation. CMU’s second cohort, comprising three students from different academic colleges, worked to develop a map that highlights free resources and creative spaces available to students across campus. “Together we have created an open space for collaborative creative thinking where we can share our ideas on how to improve creativity and entrepreneurship on campus,” said Rebecca Ridenour, an environmental studies student and UIF fellow.
EMPOWERING FUTURE ENTREPRENEURS Introducing the Stephen Wakeling and Erin Gendron Entrepreneurial Scholars Program With a generous gift provided by CMU alumni Stephen Wakeling (’03) and Erin Gendron (’06), the College of Business Administration is set to launch the Wakeling-Gendron Entrepreneurial Scholars Program this fall. The inaugural 2023-24 cohort of eight Wakeling-Gendron E-Scholars were competitively selected and are comprised of entrepreneurship majors and students actively involved in the New Venture Challenge or other programming offered by the Isabella Bank Institute of Entrepreneurship. Students are eligible to participate in the program between their sophomore year and graduation. In addition to a financial scholarship, travel to different regional entrepreneurial ecosystems, and participation in experiential learning, a primary focus of the program will be to support the E-Scholars as they develop mentoring and networking strategies customized to align with their entrepreneurial interests and development goals. “With our support, we intend for E-Scholar recipients to gain real experience and individualized support in innovation, collaboration, and independence, as well as access to an expanded network of potential mentors, partners, and clientele,” Wakeling and Gendron said.
College of Business Administration | 17
