In the January intersession of your first year, you will take part in an international experiential learning experience, the Innovation for Humanity Project. This two-credit program is designed to develop agile and creative business leaders who understand how to build sustainable, impactful businesses within developing communities around the world. You will spend three weeks abroad with your teammates engaging with entrepreneurs, public officials, faculty and NGOs, exploring critical development issues. By connecting you with humanitarian and business leaders on-site, the Innovation for Humanity Project will provide you with an understanding of the complex systems that prevail in developing countries, help you identify communities needs and challenges, and enable you to assess sustainable business opportunities to address those needs.
Program Learning Goals
As your first charge during the fall semester, you will work in teams to prepare for the international experience by researching relevant socio-economic conditions, conducting industry analysis, critiquing case studies, hearing from experts, and presenting the country analysis to your classmates. This work prepares you to make the most productive use of your time while in-country. During the international residency, the teams will further explore the community's needs within the local context, assess of the root causes of current conditions, and examine the specific roles played by partner organizations in addressing the problem at specific sites. Finally, using the analysis and data gathered during preparation and your time abroad, you will identify sustainable business opportunities, innovative approaches, and effective partnerships that would improve the impact of existing efforts to meet the community's needs.
Program Components
These learning goals will be met through the following components of the Innovation for Humanity Program:
