Newswise — "At Clarkson, partnerships connecting the University to 'the real world' are nothing new," explained Timothy F. Sugrue, dean of the Clarkson School of Business. "Clarkson has historically been flexible and responsive as an institution, collaborating with industry leaders and public agencies to keep our curriculum in sync with companies' needs and marketplace changes. That has served our students and industry well."
Today, Clarkson faculty and administrators are partnering with industry and foundations to launch exciting new project-based learning initiatives that build on the University's historic strengths in entrepreneurial and interdisciplinary education.
Earlier this year, The Clarkson School of Business Entrepreneurial Studies Program received a highly competitive Entrepreneurship Excellence in Teaching Colleges Grant from The Coleman Foundation to expand its award-winning programs over the next three years. Procter & Gamble (P&G) Fund also announced a $150,000 grant to support Clarkson's development of a multidisciplinary course in virtual product development. Clarkson was one of only three schools nationwide chosen by P&G to develop new curricula in this area in 2005.
"The ultimate goal of these new curricular initiatives is to underscore the importance of technology transfer and product innovation and development in today's global marketplace," explains Sugrue. "Our students will understand and experience firsthand how commercialization is a final necessary step to turning good ideas into practical applications."
Entrepreneurship Programs Expand
Thanks to a $150,000 grant from The Coleman Foundation, Clarkson's award-winning entrepreneurial studies program will expand to allow a greater number of students to benefit from experiential opportunities that enhance learning experiences and broaden connections between students and the outside world. "Entrepreneurial skills are not only valuable in establishing a company or business venture, which many of our program graduates often go on to do, but are also essential in driving innovation in all facets of the workplace, " said Marc Compeau, director of Entrepreneurial Programs at Clarkson.
Funding from the Coleman Foundation will be used to strengthen the existing program model and reinforce students' early exposure to entrepreneurship. This fall students entering the Coulter School of Engineering will be offered a two-semester, first-year experiential course modeled on the highly successful Clarkson program that offers students enrolled in the School of Business and the Interdisciplinary Engineering Management program exposure to the foundations of entrepreneurship in their first year. A new second-year course will facilitate the support of business development around concepts developed in the first year and will focus on intellectual property and market research. The third year of study will build on Clarkson's nationally recognized Venture@MooreHouse, a residential learning program. Students will acquire important skills developing long-term strategies for product launch with an emphasis on the management team, leadership issues, innovation and product positioning. The program will culminate with students electing one of three distinct paths in the final year to help them focus their career goals. "This includes a product-oriented focus for students with interests in technical innovation and product design; a product or service-oriented focus for students more aligned with commercialization; and finally, a focus on venture capital, for students interested in the funding side of entrepreneurship," explained Compeau.
The plan also includes the establishment of a student exchange program by leveraging current relationships with Oregon State University and other leading business schools around the country. This will help students gain new perspectives by experiencing other regional economies and markets and different pedagogical styles.
Virtual Reality Meets Product Development
The new P&G-sponsored project leverages virtual-reality (VR) technology associated with Clarkson's Advanced Visualization Laboratory to test market new products and packaging in lieu of producing actual prototypes. "The premise is that virtual-prototyping technology, in the form of computer aided-design and engineering (CAD/CAE ), can be used to elicit consumer feedback early in the design process," says James Carroll, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. "Consumers can experience the product in a virtual setting that recreates a home environment or a grocery store. The virtual experience may encompass multiple sensory elements such as sight, touch, hearing and even smell. Packaging and other product design features can be adjusted to meet consumer needs and preferences."
A new multidisciplinary projects (MP) course is planned for the fall as part of the grant proposal and will provide students from business, engineering, and computer science with the opportunity to experience the Virtual Product Development process. "The students involved will gain hands-on experience developing new products as a team, working with P&G liaisons, corporate recruiters, the local business community, and other sources," Carroll adds. "The project will also include student placement in summer internships and seek full-time student placements in positions that make use of their acquired skills."
Successful product development requires the expertise of a range of professionals " from chemists, engineers, or physicists to marketing experts, financial analysts and consumer experts," explains Carroll. "Cross-disciplinary project experiences like this one are highly valued in the corporate marketplace."
Clarkson University, located in Potsdam, New York is a private, nationally ranked university with a reputation for developing innovative leaders in engineering, business, the sciences, health sciences and the humanities. Faculty achieve international recognition for their research and scholarship and connect students to their leadership potential in the marketplace through dynamic, real-world problem solving.
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