RI Universities Seek Greater Collaboration to Launch More Businesses
Tuesday, September 09, 2014
Rhode Island's independent colleges and universities are seeking greater collaboration in the areas of entrepreneurial education and venture development, according to Brown University Social Innovation Initiative Director, Alan Harlam.
"We are happy to share our knowledge, we are happy to collaborate, and we see an opportunity both in the social impact space and also outside of it to use Brown's model of entrepreneurial education and venture development to launch more businesses," said Harlam.
The Social Innovation Initiative is a program of the Swearer Center for Public Service at Brown. Its programming focuses around venture development, academic connections, campus activities, and life beyond Brown.
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"I have always believed that there was entrepreneurship activities happening at other campuses but I never really had the bandwidth to go out and find out what was going on. I recently met with Jessica David over at the Rhode Island Foundation who told me about some efforts by the Association of Independent Colleges & Universities (AICU) and what is happening on other campuses," said Harlam.
The AICU is comprised of eight independent colleges and univerisities in Rhode Island -- Brown University, Bryant University, Johnson & Wales University, New England Institute of Technology, Providence College, Rhode Island School of Design, and Roger Williams University.
Brown is already actively partnering with RISD in their Social Innovation Fellowship program, with 1-2 Fellowship seats allotted to RISD students each year. According to its website, the Social Innovation Fellowship provides 15-20 students with up to $4,000 to grow a social venture over the summer, supported by a year of intensive skills training, complementary coursework, and a community of social entrepreneurs on campus offering mentorship and critique.
"Every year for the past two years, students at RISD have participated in our Fellowship fully and we are very excited about that collaboration," said Harlam.
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Alan Harlam, Director of Brown University's Social Innovation Initiative
The next steps, according to Harlam, are meeting with the other AICU college and universities in the effort to forge additional partnerships and collabortions.
"The questions we will be looking to answer is how can we collaborate, and how can we take some of the successes that have happened from Brown and take the model of entrepreneurial education and venture development that we have been developing at Brown and share it? We are happy to share our model at Brown," said Harlam.
According to Harlam, greater collaboration at the university level is essential in order to cultivate and expand the "network for changemakers" that will be necessary to help more students launch ventures going forward.
"One of my mentors at Brown, is famous for encouraging students to launch their ventures when they graduate because they will never have a time in their lives when they will have less to lose in terms of life responsibilities and other commitments that often stand in the way of pursuing an entrepreneurial dream," said Harlam.
Related Slideshow: Top New England Colleges According to Business Insider
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#13 Wesleyan University
Overall Rank: 49
Location: Middletown, CT
Score: 2.73 out of 5
Tuition and Fees: $47,244
Business Insider: "With roughly 2,900 undergraduates on a 316-acre campus overlooking the Conn. River, Wesleyan uses its small size to provide highly personal faculty support and customizable programs of study to students.
Business Insider's rating is scored out of 5 and is based on the results of a 1,000-person reader survey that asked how much each college will help students succeed in life. Tuition was used as a tiebreaker, with cheaper tuition pushing a school to a higher spot.
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#12 Boston University
Overall Rank: 45
Location: Boston, MA
Score: 2.79 out of 5
Tuition and Fees: $44,910
Business Insider: "A concrete campus located in the bustling city of Boston, BU has nearly 100 study abroad programs in 23 countries, an active social media presence with more than 200 Facebook pages and groups, and 20-plus NCAA Division I varsity sports, including a multiple NCAA national championship-winning hockey team."
Business Insider's rating is scored out of 5 and is based on the results of a 1,000-person reader survey that asked how much each college will help students succeed in life. Tuition was used as a tiebreaker, with cheaper tuition pushing a school to a higher spot.
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#11 Wellesley College
Overall Rank: 44
Location: Wellesley, MA
Score: 2.86 out of 5
Tuition and Fees: $43,544
Business Insider: "Madeleine Albright, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Diane Sawyer are among the nearly 37,000 living alumni of Wellesley College, an institute with an unwavering commitment to empowering women to make a difference in the world."
"Students are central to decision-making at this liberal arts college: They serve on major committees of the board of trustees, participate in faculty search, and contribute to strategic planning."
Business Insider's rating is scored out of 5 and is based on the results of a 1,000-person reader survey that asked how much each college will help students succeed in life. Tuition was used as a tiebreaker, with cheaper tuition pushing a school to a higher spot.
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#10 Middlebury College
Overall Rank: 40
Location: Middlebury, VT
Score: 2.94 out of 5
Tuition and Fees: $57,075
Business Insider: "Renowned for leadership in language instruction and environmental studies, Middlebury emphasizes close interaction between students and faculty as the core of its education. All courses are taught by faculty members, rather than graduate assistants, and 65% of classes contain fewer than 20 students."
Business Insider's rating is scored out of 5 and is based on the results of a 1,000-person reader survey that asked how much each college will help students succeed in life. Tuition was used as a tiebreaker, with cheaper tuition pushing a school to a higher spot.
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#9 Tufts University
Overall Rank: 37
Location: Medford, MA
Score: 3.07 out of 5
Tuition and Fees: $46,598
Business Insider: "Tufts University encourages students to pursue interdisciplinary studies at its two colleges, the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering. An overwhelming 90% of students are enrolled in the first, which boasts a liberal arts college feel in a research-rich environment."
Business Insider's rating is scored out of 5 and is based on the results of a 1,000-person reader survey that asked how much each college will help students succeed in life. Tuition was used as a tiebreaker, with cheaper tuition pushing a school to a higher spot.
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#8 Boston College
Overall Rank: 36
Location: Boston, MA
Score: 3.09 out of 5
Tuition and Fees: $46,088
Business Insider: "Boston College jumps four spots on our list, thanks in part to its tremendous growth in recent years. Undergraduate applications have soared 75% over the past decade, and voluntary giving by alumni has increased the university's endowment to $1.9 billion."
Business Insider's rating is scored out of 5 and is based on the results of a 1,000-person reader survey that asked how much each college will help students succeed in life. Tuition was used as a tiebreaker, with cheaper tuition pushing a school to a higher spot.
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#7 Amherst College
Overall Rank: 27
Location: Amherst, MA
Score: 3.31 out of 5
Tuition and Fees: $58,744
Business Insider: "Ranked the second-best liberal arts school in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report, Amherst College climbed four spots on our list this year."
Business Insider's rating is scored out of 5 and is based on the results of a 1,000-person reader survey that asked how much each college will help students succeed in life. Tuition was used as a tiebreaker, with cheaper tuition pushing a school to a higher spot.
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#6 Williams College
Overall Rank: 23
Location: Williamstown, MA
Score: 3.40 out of 5
Tuition and Fees: $46,600
Business Insider: "Williams was number 27 on last year's list, but our readers voted it up to No. 23 this time around. A top liberal arts college, Williams is set to host its own TEDx conference for students and faculty in January 2014."
Business Insider's rating is scored out of 5 and is based on the results of a 1,000-person reader survey that asked how much each college will help students succeed in life. Tuition was used as a tiebreaker, with cheaper tuition pushing a school to a higher spot.
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#5 Brown University
Overall Rank: 20
Location: Providence, RI
Score: 3.60 out of 5
Tuition and Fees: $45,612
Business Insider: "Brown is known for being the most individualistic of the Ivies, and with some of the happiest students."
Business Insider's rating is scored out of 5 and is based on the results of a 1,000-person reader survey that asked how much each college will help students succeed in life. Tuition was used as a tiebreaker, with cheaper tuition pushing a school to a higher spot.
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#4 Dartmouth College
Overall Rank: 9
Location: Hanover, NH
Score: 3.96 out of 5
Tuition and Fees: $46,752
Business Insider: "At 4,200 enrolled undergraduate students, Dartmouth is the smallest of the Ivies. But its size has no bearing on the prestige of its programs; the school was ranked No. 1 in undergraduate teaching courses by U.S. News & World Report for the fourth year in a row."
Business Insider's rating is scored out of 5 and is based on the results of a 1,000-person reader survey that asked how much each college will help students succeed in life. Tuition was used as a tiebreaker, with cheaper tuition pushing a school to a higher spot.
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#3 Yale University
Overall Rank: 5
Location: New Haven, CT
Score: 4.25 out of 5
Tuition and Fees: $44,125
Business Insider: "Our readers were not shy in praising Yale's hardworking professors: 'Yale is still the best ranking... school thanks to it[s] high profile faculty," one respondent pointed out. 'It's them who keep Yale in the top.'"
Business Insider's rating is scored out of 5 and is based on the results of a 1,000-person reader survey that asked how much each college will help students succeed in life. Tuition was used as a tiebreaker, with cheaper tuition pushing a school to a higher spot.
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#2 Harvard University
Overall Rank: 3
Location: Cambridge, MA
Score: 4.42 out of 5
Tuition and Fees: $42,292
Business Insider: "For the third year in a row, Harvard has held fast at No. 3. Harvard's most popular majors (or "concentrations," as they're called there) are economics and political science, and the Crimson school has been hailed for its think-outside-the-box approach to learning."
Business Insider's rating is scored out of 5 and is based on the results of a 1,000-person reader survey that asked how much each college will help students succeed in life. Tuition was used as a tiebreaker, with cheaper tuition pushing a school to a higher spot.
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#1 MIT
Overall Rank: 1
Location: Cambridge, MA
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Tuition and Fees: $42,050
Business Insider: "The tech school admits fewer than 9 percent of applicants, some of whom have gone on to achieve prestigious awards like Nobel Prizes, National Medals of Science, MacArthur Grants, and National Medals of Technology and Innovation."
Business Insider's rating is scored out of 5 and is based on the results of a 1,000-person reader survey that asked how much each college will help students succeed in life. Tuition was used as a tiebreaker, with cheaper tuition pushing a school to a higher spot.
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