A presentation on the George Washington University’s innovation and entrepreneurship efforts, a resolution electing B.J. Penn, M.S. '80, as an emeritus trustee and an announcement introducing the university’s first senior associate provost for international strategy highlighted the open session of Friday’s pre-Commencement meeting of the Board of Trustees.
In a presentation on GW’s research efforts and participation in DC I-Corps, Jim Chung, executive director in the Office of Entrepreneurship, outlined how recent university efforts have helped bridge the gap between researchers and consumers.
“We needed to train researchers to think like entrepreneurs, so they would understand the type of problems they’d be able to solve with their solutions,” Mr. Chung said. “The problem is most researchers don’t think this way—they aren’t thinking outside their labs. That’s really critical, because you may have a great scientific solution for something, but that doesn’t mean that it will solve a problem for someone until you understand that person’s problem.”
Jim Chung, executive director in the Office of Entrepreneurship, outlined how recent GW efforts have helped close the gap between university researchers and consumers. (William Atkins/GW Today)
Through DC I-Corps, GW has worked to identify inventions that are potentially commercially marketable in the short-term. The results, Mr. Chung told the Board of Trustees, have turned GW into a critical hub for entrepreneurial research. Last fall, Lijie Grace Zhang, an assistant professor in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, received a $2.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for her work involving 3-D printing of human organs and joints, which is aimed at finding a solution for large tissue defects in patients.
Dr. Zhang’s work is an example of universities doing a better job of matching academic outcomes with employer and market needs, a topic George Washington President Steven Knapp stressed last month when he spoke at the Milken Institute Global Conference.
“[Universities must] become more innovative, not only in research but also in their instructional programs,” he said Friday. “They also have to adopt a more customer-oriented approach to supplement traditional disciplines with programs that are designed to meet the needs of markets in ways that are much more nimble, flexible and responsive.”
(From left) Nelson Carbonell, B.J. Penn, Steven Knapp and Aristide Collins following Mr. Penn's election as a trustee emeritus Friday. (William Atkins/GW Today)
Remarks on Friday from Board of Trustees Chair Nelson Carbonell, B.S. ’85, highlighted several past and upcoming university developments. Mr. Carbonell also provided a preview of Saturday night’s annual trustees Commencement dinner, which will include a ceremony honoring longtime university leader and trustee emeritus Luther Brady, A.A. '44, B.A. '46, M.D. '48. Dr. Brady will receive the President’s Medal, an honor reserved to recognize individuals who have exhibited courage, character and leadership in their chosen fields.
“Luther, I have to say, it’s well deserved,” Mr. Carbonell said. “I can’t imagine a more deserving recipient.”
The trustees also took time Friday to honor Mr. Penn by electing him as an emeritus trustee. Mr. Penn, who earned his degree at GW while on active duty in the Navy, was a member of the Board of Trustees from 2010 to 2013. He currently serves as chair of Making History: The Campaign for GW.
President Knapp provided information Friday on several university developments over the past months, including the hiring of GW's new police chief and major campus events. (William Atkins/GW Today)
In a presentation recapping the second half of the spring semester, Dr. Knapp provided information on Sunday’s Commencement ceremony on the National Mall, the hiring of the university’s new police chief and major events on campus—including last week’s White House Summit on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and last month’s Washington Post Live panel, featuring CEOs from the entertainment, business, media and technology sector. He also reported on the record-breaking results of the university’s Senior Class Giving Campaign and introduced Elliott School of International Affairs Associate Dean Doug Shaw as the university’s first senior associate provost for international strategy.
“This is one of the most exciting sectors in higher education, and there’s no better place to do it at than the George Washington University,” Dr. Shaw said. “I’m deeply grateful and enthusiastic for this opportunity. This university is destined to be a great global university.”
Farewell remarks were sprinkled throughout Friday’s meeting, as both Student Association President Nick Gumas and GW Alumni Association President Steve Frenkil complete their respective terms. SA President-elect Andie Dowd and GWAA President-elect Jeremy Gosbee, B.A. '98, M.B.A. '02, made introductory remarks to the board. Both will assume their elected leadership positions this summer.
Faculty Senate Executive Committee Chair Charles Garris provided an update on the university’s ongoing process to update the Faculty Code and Faculty Organization Plan, which included the passing of three resolutions last week regarding faculty governance. External Relations Vice President Lorraine Voles presented on Commencement activities. In Friday’s closed session meeting, trustees approved the university’s 2015-16 budget and received an update on the Making History campaign, which currently has raised more than $740 million.
