Valpo KEEN Partnership
Valparaiso University is a partner of the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN). KEEN’s mission is to promote Entrepreneurial Minded Learning (EML) through curricular and extracurricular developments and to graduate engineers who are equipped with, not only the appropriate skillset, but also an entrepreneurial mindset. The network includes more than 45 undergraduate Engineering programs across the country.
Being a partner in the network gives the College of Engineering at Valparaiso University access to an abundance of resources and networking opportunities. This includes sharing best practices and methods, collaborative research projects, and attending/presenting at national conferences and workshops.
Partners of the network are also eligible for funding opportunities to be used for advancing EML among the faculty and students. As an example, a recent fund of $67,000 was granted to Valparaiso University to convert GE100, the first-year engineering course taken by all engineering students, from a traditional lecture-based course to a project-based course. As a result, Engineering students from all different majors now spend a whole semester working on two interdisciplinary projects that are infused with EML concepts.
For more information about KEEN, visit www.engineeringunleashed.com
“Technical competence alone is not enough to succeed as a global engineer. To solve today’s problems, engineering graduates must be innovative problem solvers that are curious by nature, can make connections between ideas, and identify opportunities to create value. Being a partner in the KEEN network, where we can collaborate with institutions from across the nation, will provide our faculty and students with the ability to develop this entrepreneurial mindset that will help them be successful throughout their careers.”
-Eric Johnson, Dean of Engineering, Valparaiso University
“The mission at Valparaiso University is to prepare students to lead and serve both in church and society. To fulfill it, the university is committed to developing entrepreneurially minded graduates who will have a positive impact in an ever-changing world. In short, the mission and goals of Valparaiso University align well with the goals of KEEN and I know that the students and faculty in the College of Engineering will benefit from the resources and collaboration provided through partnership.”
– Mark Biermann, Provost, Valparaiso University
