With sights set on creating enduring change in higher education, Drexel University has joined with six other universities to launch a transformation of industry engagement in higher education. The intent is to help advisory boards move from a traditional advisory role to an active partnership in engineering education with a goal of helping institutions advance an entrepreneurial mindset in engineers.
The partner institutions — University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Boston College, Drexel, Rowan University, University of St. Thomas, University of North Alabama, and Clarkson University — are all members of the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN).
“Drexel Engineering students have a unique connection to industry through our co-op program, which exposes them to what professional engineers are working on right now,” says Jennifer Atchison, PhD, assistant teaching professor of mechanical engineering and mechanics and a co-PI for the project. “Strengthening this connection and getting members of industry advisory boards more deeply involved in department and college activities will give both sides even more valuable perspective on how our students can impact the future of engineering.”
The research team will collaborate over three years to develop novel resources for leveraging industry advisory boards in ways that create pathways to connect industry into academic goals: a multimedia industrial partnership board “playbook;” a faculty development workshop; and a community of practice.