In a recent article, Education Dive featured its conversation with Judith Cone, vice chancellor for innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development at UNC-Chapel Hill, about her work with Innovate Carolina, the university’s unique campus-wide network designed to help students and faculty transform their ideas into practical results. In the feature story, Cone discusses how Carolina’s increased emphasis on entrepreneurship makes an economic impact in local and global communities, while better preparing students with the skills they need to thrive in the modern workplace.
“We decided the best thing we can do at a university is imbue the spirit of taking ideas through basic research and seeing how we can get as much value brought to the public from those ideas as possible,” Cone said in the article.
In particular, Cone focuses on how vital it is for universities to help faculty and students, who must focus heavily on research grants and classroom responsibilities, find opportunities that make it easier to turn their ideas into practical applications that bring value to the market and world at large. She also notes that even when students decide not to take an idea to market or launch a startup company, by being involved in entrepreneurship courses and participating in the university’s innovation network, they gain the exact skills that employers are looking for: leadership skills, implementation skills, communication skills and team building skills.
Want to learn more about Carolina’s unique approach to innovation and entrepreneurship?
| UNC-CH