Our university is part of a group of about 20 universities that are seeking to improve our graduates' capabilities by helping them to develop an entrepreneurial mindset while they are yet students. While technical knowledge is essential to engineering, engineers will be more likely to find success and personal fulfillment when they couple these skills with a mindset to create extraordinary value for others. This perspective is not innate to many students, but they can be exposed to these concepts using the curriculum, if faculty themselves know how to do this. This leads to the critical issue of appropriate faculty development. Our program is committed to this perspective. As a result of this, we added to the department's undergraduate mission statement that our students "will be empowered by innovative problem-solving creativity and an entrepreneurial mindset". To help our faculty we have created a multifaceted approach to development. We have monthly lunchtime seminars where people from other parts of campus come in and make presentations. In fall 2015 these presentations were on the topics of Curiosity, Connections, and Creating Value. At the end of each semester we have a 1/2 day workshop where outside experts come in and lead us in a discussion of some aspect of this topic. A major component of this development was the creation of an internal grant program called Innovators. These Innovators come to the December workshop to learn more about the subject. They then create modules in one of their courses that demonstrate some aspect of the entrepreneurial mindset. Once they complete the project they create documents to show others how these modules can be used. Once this is done they receive a small stipend. By emphasizing modules, rather than entire courses, our faculty create things that other faculty (both here and at other schools) can insert into existing courses. So far we have had 15 faculty members (about 40% of our total engineering faculty) create modules. Another six professors are in the process of creating modules. The degree of this involvement is helping to change the culture within our college concerning the important of helping our students develop an entrepreneurial mindset.
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