By Jamie L. Freedman
After six months of rigorous discussion and analysis, the Innovation Task Force Exploration Committee will present its nine leading innovation ideas for 2011 to the GW community next week at two “showcases of ideas.”
The meetings, scheduled for April 4 on the Virginia Science and Technology Campus and April 6 on the Foggy Bottom Campus, are designed to solicit community-wide feedback, with the goal of ultimately winnowing down the list to six initiatives on which to move forward. Each showcase will feature brief overviews of the top-ranked proposals, followed by breakout sessions focusing on individual initiatives.
After the community meetings, the top proposals will be presented to President Steven Knapp and his council of senior administrators for final selection, followed by implementation planning in the next fiscal year.
“The Exploration Committee, led by Michael King and David Green, has done an excellent job in identifying the next set of ideas for implementation,” says Jeffrey Lenn, associate vice president for academic affairs and co-chairman of the Innovation Task Force Steering Committee. “Their thorough analysis of a whole host of ideas has yielded nine of the best.”
The 14-member, cross-disciplinary Exploration Committee met biweekly throughout the year to discuss and rank numerous proposals submitted by GW students, faculty and staff aimed at making university operations more effective, efficient and innovative. Utilizing a comprehensive nine-criterion vetting process, the group designated the following ideas as top initiatives for implementation:
- Executive Education - Develop and implement a series of contemporary seminars for executives drawn from among University-wide disciplines.
- Healthy Campus - Deploy a comprehensive health management and wellness program for GW employees.
- Building Energy Efficiency Program - Create a comprehensive campus capital improvements energy project aimed at maximizing energy efficiency.
- January Term - Establish a three-week, intensive January term between the fall and winter semesters.
- International Summer - Develop an intensive summer community experience for international students.
- Master’s Degree in Research Administration - Create a new academic program in research administration.
- ESL Center - Establish a new English as a Second Language (ESL) Center for intensive language training.
- Improve Retention Rate - Enhance the GW student experience by implementing a strategic university-wide retention program.
- Bachelor’s Degree Weekend College - Create an accelerated, executive-style undergraduate degree completion program for working adults with classes delivered on weekends.
More information on the nine leading proposals, or register for one of the showcases.