The Lassonde Studios — a first-of-its-kind hybrid residence hall and startup incubator at the University of Utah — was conceived in much the same way that university officials hope students will dream up their own projects once the building opens next year.
— Calvin Hennick
Higher Ed Expands Reach Through Video Conferencing — from edtechmagazine.com by Calvin Hennick
Don’t call them dorms — 21st century residence halls offer flexible spaces where students can connect and collaborate using high-tech tools.
Excerpt:
“I started talking to students about what I could do to help them make their companies more successful,” recalls Troy D’Ambrosio, executive director of the university’s Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. One student told D’Ambrosio that he had all the engineering help he needed, but lacked ways to connect with students who had design and sales backgrounds. Another student, who was making a product that used boiling water to run lights and charge smartphones, worked primarily at a garage off campus, at the home of his business partner’s mother. He told D’Ambrosio that he simply wanted access to an on-campus working space. Still other students said such a space should be open around the clock, in case entrepreneurial inspiration struck at 3 a.m.
“That’s where the residential component tied in to create a 24-hour, immersive experience,” says D’Ambrosio. “That all gelled together.”
Also relevant/see:
Richard Branson: Three ways higher education can create more entrepreneurs — from virgin.com by Jack Preston
Excerpts (emphasis DSC):
Here the Virgin Group founder outlines three changes that he would make to the system in order to produce more entrepreneurs.
- Encouraging students to start-up
- Shorten degrees
- Install the importance of networking in students