Baylor Students Named University Innovation Fellows by Stanford Program

Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-709-5959
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Four Baylor University students have been selected as University Innovation Fellows, a nationally competitive global program run by Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school) that empowers student leaders to increase campus engagement with innovation, entrepreneurship, design thinking and creativity.

The Baylor students – who represent a variety of academic fields – were nominated by faculty and administrators, selected through a competitive application process and completed a six-week online training experience. Baylor’s first cohort of University Innovation Fellows are:

• Ethan Friend, sophomore Medical Humanities major, Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, pre-med, from Littleton, Colorado
• Warren Huang, sophomore Business Scholar, Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, Honors Program, Economics major, from Austin, Texas
• Carter Lewis, sophomore Computer Science major, Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, from Lubbock, Texas
• Spencer Yim, sophomore University Scholar, Honors Program, secondary major in Political Science, from Westport, Connecticut

Through the program, these student leaders create opportunities to help their peers build the creative confidence, agency and entrepreneurial mindset needed to address global challenges. In addition, Innovation Fellows develop student innovation spaces, start entrepreneurship organizations, facilitate experiential workshops, work with faculty and administrators to develop new courses and much more. They serve as advocates for lasting institutional change with academic leaders, lending the much-needed student voice to conversations about the future of higher education.

The Baylor Innovation Fellows already have begun work on a sustainability food waste plan with Chartwells to reduce the amount of food waste in on-campus dining facilities. They also are in communication with various stakeholders on further interdisciplinary projects.

“Baylor’s cohort of University Innovation Fellows are rolling up their sleeves to engage across campus, learn from key leaders and identify opportunities to implement innovation to support a unique project that benefits the campus community. I’m proud to join in and help plan and navigate around the campus to launch the Fellows here,” said Jeremy Vickers, Ph.D., associate vice president of innovation and economic development at Baylor.

Vickers guides Baylor’s Innovation Fellows as a Faculty Champion, while also engaging in a community of Faculty Innovation Fellows, a two-year cohort-based experience to help faculty and staff expand the innovation and entrepreneurship movement at their schools. Faculty Innovation Fellows work both in collaboration with their student University Innovation Fellows and on their own to design ways to improve their institutions. They connect with a community of like-minded educators from around the world to advance projects, gather feedback and share what they learn.

The four Baylor Innovation Fellows are among only 164 students selected from 44 higher education institutions across 13 countries. Since its creation, the program has trained more than 3,300 students.

“Higher education institutions around the world need student leaders to be involved in shaping the experience of teaching and learning,” said Humera Fasihuddin, co-director of the University Innovation Fellows program. “Students can provide an essential perspective on what learners need to succeed and thrive in the world today, and students can take the lead on making the necessary changes happen at their schools.”

“These changemakers aren’t just dreaming about tomorrow – they’re building it,” said Leticia Britos Cavagnaro, co-director of the University Innovation Fellows program. “While lifting up their campus communities, they’re mastering design and leadership skills that will serve them for years to come.”

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY INNOVATION FELLOWS PROGRAM

The University Innovation Fellows program empowers students to become agents of change at their schools. The Fellows are a global community of students leading a movement to ensure that all students gain the necessary attitudes, skills and knowledge required to compete in the economy of the future. These student leaders from schools around the country create new opportunities that help their peers develop an entrepreneurial mindset, build creative confidence, seize opportunities, define problems and address global challenges. Fellows are creating student innovation spaces, founding entrepreneurship organizations, hosting experiential events, and working with faculty and administrators to develop courses. They serve as advocates for lasting institutional change with academic leaders and represent their schools at national events. The University Innovation Fellows is a program of Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school). Learn more at universityinnovationfellows.org.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.