What an exciting year! We say entrepreneurs and innovators discover opportunities and bring people and resources together to make change happen in the world. And my goodness, this has been true this year! Amidst challenges and trials, our students have done amazing work, developed and grown as entrepreneurs and innovators. Our community has risen to meet challenges with innovation, excitement and mentorship. We’ve been able to support each other through what has been a most challenging year. And, we’ve done so with excellence. This is all to the credit of a vibrant community with significant opportunities for student leadership roles. These are all made possible through your generous support. Thank you!
Give Day is our primary fundraising activity for WWU’s Human Centered Entrepreneurship and Innovation Education Program (HCEI&E). Give Day opens early, on May 18th, 19th, and then reopens on May 27th. We will send you gentle reminders in the week to come as your donations matter so deeply to entrepreneurs and innovators. We ask you for your generous support for student leadership and community development. And, every dollar you give will be matched through the generous support of David Cole. Together, we can continue to build a vibrant, flourishing entrepreneurial community for our students.
Entrepreneurship and Innovation Fellows
Hear what our students have to say
I loved this class more than any other online class I have taken. The constant breakout rooms, the enthusiasm, the inspiration, and the awesome prompts kept me engaged and having fun throughout the whole class. This has been the longest class I have taken over zoom but it has been the most engaging, most impactful, inspirational, and relevant class I have ever taken at Western. THANK YOU!!
I wanted to start a new business and learn skills. What I gained is so much more, wow so much more!!! the tools and resources I have learned, the long lasting relationships, the constant strive for growth and change, and positive mindset has truly changed my life.
I really appreciate The people I’ve met, the amazing minds I’ve gotten to collaborate with, and the trust from the faculty to allow us to pursue our personal passions!
These impacts and impressions are by design- we focus on creating the infrastructure to support what we call cascading mentorship, students teaching students. This is true to the core of Human-Centered Entrepreneurship and Innovation Education. And, it requires additional resources for investment, talent, and support. It’s a systemic way to design for belonging and community within an entrepreneurial and innovative context.
What is HCEI&E?
It’s a WAY OF LIFE: a) The habits, customs and beliefs of a particular person or group of people. b) an important activity, job, etc. that affects all parts of someone’s life. c) the manner in which someone lives. d) If you describe a particular activity as a way of life for someone, you mean that it has become a very important and regular thing in their life, rather than something they do or explore occasionally. (meshed from various online dictionaries including Merriam-Webster, Collins and Cambridge)
We are often asked, what and how do you teach in your programs? A question we love to receive and find that it requires a somewhat complex answer! Just as there are many ways of life for entrepreneurs and innovators, there are many ways that higher educational leaders may support and challenge their students in the realm of entrepreneurship and innovation education.
The WWU E&I program is the birthplace of a teaching and learning approach we call “Human-Centered Entrepreneurship & Innovation Education” (or HCEI-E) for supporting and challenging the growth and development of students and stakeholders in our programs. This in turn, relates to the larger, life-long entrepreneurship and innovation way of life where human flourishing is at the center–beginning with centering on the students themselves. Thus, we use education to help our students become aware of, understand, explore and move forward with the HCEI Way of Life through our programs.