faculty_fellows

View the bios and abstracts of the 2005    2006    2008   2009

2007 UIUC Faculty Fellows

2007 Parkland Faculty Fellows
2007 Faculty Fellows

Bercovitz, Janet

Assistant Professor, Business Administration, College of Business

Abstract: Managing Venture Growth

The proposed new course, Managing Venture Growth, is intended to complement existing courses in Entrepreneurship by providing students an experiential learning opportunity and hands-on interaction with active entrepreneurs to develop students' problem-solving skills. Simultaneously, the course will provide outreach opportunities by engaging young, growing companies (including University spin-offs) and addressing their growth related issues. Student enrollment will draw from multiple disciplines and Colleges, given existing unmet demand for such a course in the University.

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Frost, Jim

Director, English Department

Abstract: Introducing Entrepreneurial Methodologies into Business and Technical Writing 250

This proposal outlines a plan to introduce entrepreneurial elements into Business and Technical Writing 250 (BTW 250), an Advanced Composition course in business and administrative communication. Open to juniors and seniors of any major, approximately 20% of all undergraduates satisfy their Advanced Composition requirement through this course. The purpose of the course is to teach students rhetorical principles that enable them to analyze communication contexts for the purpose of researching, designing, and writing documents. Students also practice writing in common business genres of correspondence, job application materials, proposals, reports, and oral presentations.

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Hammack, William S.

Professor, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering/SCS/LAS

Abstract: The Hidden World of Engineering

The Hidden World of Engineering teaches non-engineering majors the essence of engineering. This class is part of the General Education curriculum at the University of Illinois and thus its broad goal is produce well-rounded students who will create a technologically literate work force. It has been offered every semester since 1998; it currently the class fills with students of diverse majors in the university - business, dance, history, English, psychology, etc. (There are no engineering students because the class is restricted to non-majors.) I plan to add content to this course on entrepreneurship. The class is constructed about seven "modules" or projects in a semester, which the students work on in teams. I plan to either change one of the modules to focus on entrepreneurship or to thread entrepreneurship throughout all of the modules. While the tie into the course would be entrepreneur activities in regards to technology development; I want to, also, articulate the principles of social entrepreneurship because this is a general education course. The purpose of this proposal is to get the time and funds to think deeply about the best way pedagogically to introduce this subject into the course.

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Harwood, Stacy Anne

Assistant Professor, Urban and Regional Planning

Abstract: UP260: Social Inequality and Planning

This proposal outlines a revision of UP260: Social Inequality and Planning. This course introduces students to the social, political, economic and cultural forces shaping communities today with an emphasis on the processes through which successful community intervention occurs at the local level: community organizing, participatory planning, advocacy planning, community development and social entrepreneurship. Students explore the dynamics of community building and social change by focusing on the interplay between leaders, institutions, and change processes through team projects, individual assignments and community service activities in the East St. Louis, Illinois.

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Hoetker, Glenn

Assistant Professor, Business Administration

Abstract: CAS 5897: Science and Technology in the Pacific Century: The Role of Entrepreneurship

In spring 2008, the University’s Center for Advanced Study (CAS) will offer the interdisciplinary course, CAS 587: Science and Technology in the Pacific Century, as part of its 2006-2009 initiative of the same name. The course will provide graduate students from Colleges across campus in a survey of critical issues shaping the development of science and technology in the Pacific Century and the U.S. response. The course will also be open to attendance by faculty of any college. This application seeks support to develop a theme within the course on Technological Entrepreneurship in the Asia-Pacific. This theme reflects the increasingly important role played by entrepreneurs in bringing technology to market in Asia. Further, it encompasses the implications of increased Asian technological entrepreneurship on U.S. entrepreneurs, for whom Asia represents a growing market, a source of potential financial and scientific resources, and the home of new competitors.

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Hollis, Laura L.

Associate Director, Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership
Adjunct Lecturer, Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering

Abstract: Entrepreneurship, Economic Development and Public Policy

This is a proposal for the creation of a new three-credit-hour course entitled, "Entrepreneurship, Economic Development and Public Policy" to be offered within the College of Business.

The course is intended to be a 300- (and quite possibly a 400-) level course that examines, compares and contrasts the types of legal systems, laws and public policy initiatives that have the greatest impact on the ability to create and grow successful ventures, particularly those that produce jobs and new wealth.

The overall structure of the course will consist of four parts, and conclude with student projects and presentations. There will be additional assessments throughout the course of the semester, and a final exam.

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Lilly, Brian

Adjunct Associate Professor, Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering

Abstract: GE 498: An Entrepreneurial Approach to Green Engineering

As in the past, the future business opportunities for engineers and scientists will involve solving the world’s biggest and most important problems.  Technological breakthroughs in pollution control, resource utilization, and protecting human health and the environment will drive new businesses, services, and potentially create a business revolution on the scale of the industrial revolution.  This course is designed to introduce engineering students to global environmental issues in the context of applying entrepreneurial principals and market forces towards solutions.  Students will actively engage in the examination of a critical environmental issue in their particular engineering discipline and explore solutions that make sense in a free enterprise business framework. 
It is envisioned that this course or similar courses can change the prevailing notion that entrepreneurship is inherently in conflict with the over consumption of goods and natural resources, and that entrepreneurs themselves are not particularly concerned about the social welfare of the planet.

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Piedra, Lissette M.

Lecturer, School of Social Work

Abstract: Social Entrepreneurship in a Diverse Society: Race, Ethnicity, and Social Policy

In the now classic Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Peter F. Drucker's writes that entrepreneurship is neither a science nor an art. It is a practice. The same can be said of social work. Drawing on theories from across disciplines and an established knowledge base, social work, in the end, is about practice and the outcomes that result. A core tenet of social work is recognition for how the larger social context affects the outcomes of communities, families, and individuals. This ecological perspective, central to social workers' ability to craft effective social interventions, is congruent with the spirit of social entrepreneurship.

This course applies principles of social entrepreneurship to a boarder understanding of American diversity as a strategy for addressing problems of social inequity. By explicating the nature of and sources for social tensions inherent in a racially and ethnically diverse society, students will have a better understanding of the social context that is twenty-first century American society. By pairing a deeper understanding of the cultural landscape with principles of social entrepreneurship, students will better able to search for innovation opportunities, develop a greater appreciation for the role of the institution in designing and implementing specific social interventions, and consider the ways in which social interventions are received by diverse communities. This course aims to equip students with the tools that will make them more effective citizens and leaders in an increasingly complex and diverse society.

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Plante, Michelle

Career Services, Fine and Applied Arts

Abstract: FAA 300: Building Careers in the Arts

This course—created for emerging artists in design, studio, and performing arts—will explore what it means to be professional in arts-related contexts. Its goal of providing the tools students need to succeed artistically and financially. Students will explore entrepreneurship, innovative career paths, collaboration with various constit­uencies, and approaches for speaking about arts to those outside the arts world. Class discussion will be supplemented by readings and lectures from established perform­ing and visual artists, designers, arts administrators, marketing professionals, and business consultants. This class also introduces tools of the trade such as marketing, grant and proposal writing, artist statements, presskits, and resources for creating career opportunities.

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Stanley, Jodee

Instructor, Creative Writing Program Department of English

Abstract: Topics in Literary Publishing, Mentorship, and Promotion

I propose to redesign the English Department’s current creative writing course CW560, Literary Editing Practicum, to focus more directly on the entrepreneurial opportunities associated with literary writing and publishing initiatives. The course, which currently functions as a hands-on graduate internship with UIUC’s literary/arts journal Ninth Letter, would be expanded pedagogically to include research projects and discussion sessions that examine literary journals, small presses, literary organizations, and writing colonies and schools that were founded by literary entrepreneurs as a way to capitalize on their writing talents without compromising their artistic ideals. Students in this course will discover the many creative ways they can utilize their writing skills and knowledge of contemporary literature to pursue alternate career tracks within and outside academia upon completion of their M.F.A. degrees. Students would study a variety of literary organizations and businesses, research grant opportunities, and develop sample proposals for new ventures.

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Warnock, Daniel

Associate Professor, Natural Resources & Environmental Science

Abstract: Entrepreneurship in Horticulture

Horticulture students are well versed in theoretical and applied skills during their tenure as undergraduates. Unfortunately many students upon graduation lack management and decision making skills necessary to prosper in agribusinesses. Specifically students often lack the ability to identify the root source of problems in agribusinesses, develop workable solutions based on available information, and defend their solution choices. This deficiency puts students at a disadvantage upon graduation as real world situations almost always require the use of "one's best guess" because there are unknowns in every decision. The blending of "hands on" applied teaching, such as student run "company", with case studies of modern agribusinesses is an excellent way of developing critical thinking skills in student learners.

This course involves the collaboration of other academic units in the College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences such as Agriculture Consumer Economics. It will be offered annually to undergraduate and graduate students in ACES.

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Willingham, Taylor L.

Adjunct Faculty UIUC Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences

Abstract: Civic Entrepreneurship and Public Institutions

The purpose of this fellowship is to develop new core course for the Community Informatics Corps. LIS 490/590: Civic Entrepreneurship and Public Institutions will prepare students to be civic innovators in libraries, other public institutions and community-based organizations. This course content will come primarily from the civic and social entrepreneurship literature and case studies of innovative and entrepreneurial librarians who are redefining the role of libraries in relation to the civic and social life of their communities. Students will gain a new understanding of how entrepreneurial public institutions can build the civic capacity needed to develop new approaches to public problems. Students will contribute to a new stream of research on civic entrepreneurship within the professions of the library, nonprofit, community-based, and public institutions, and civic-minded individuals.

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Zhu, Weimo

Associate Professor, Kinesiology

Abstract: Persuasive Technology for Physical Activity Promotion

Participation in regular physical activity (PA) is critical to sustaining good health. Yet population-based surveys found that one-quarter to one-third of US adults did not meet the PA recommendation. Finding an effective way to promote PA on a large scale is a national health priority. Persuasive technology (PT) appears to have great potential for PA promotion. PT is based on persuasion, one of the most effective approaches to help change/influence others’ attitudes or behaviors. With advances in computers and other developing technologies, persuasion based technology is getting smarter, which has lead to the creation of a new area of study called “Captology.” While PT is known in the field of PA research and promotion, most existing efforts and products were not developed and evaluated under the captology framework. Some critical questions such as “What are the critical characteristics of PAPT (physical activity persuasive technology)?” and “Which PAPT strategy is most effective for PA promotion?” have yet to be addressed. Furthermore, PAPT is often presented by a commercial product. To fully take the advantages of PAPT in PA promotion, a better understanding of its entrepreneurial aspect is needed. Yet, no “business” training is included in the current Kinesiology curriculum and few Kinesiology professionals have entrepreneurial knowledge or skills. This project will develop a 400-level Kinesiology course in which both PAPT and its entrepreneurship will be taught. Students will have a chance to learn the entrepreneurial process of innovation and hands-on business skills, such as developing and writing a compelling business plan.

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Toni Burkhalter

Parkland: Instructor, Biology

Abstract: The Fundamentals of Nutrition

A variant of the BIO 120, Fundamentals of Nutrition, course will enable students to investigate and experience the entrepreneurship of product research and development in the field of nutrition. This 100 level biology course is offered as an honors designated course with enrollment restricted to Parkland College Honors Students. The course teaches nutrition by engaging students in the development of a novel snack food aimed to meet the needs of an active woman. The students will recognize opportunities within the field of food science and human nutrition, determine under-met needs within the snack food market for women, and create a novel foodstuff that meets that need. Students will work in teams to: research the motivation behind snack food choices, examine nutrient profiles of ingredients, formulate a recipe for a snack bar, interpret lab analysis of the product, and aid in the local marketing of the foodstuff. Although the course focus will be on establishing a new food product, students will demonstrate entrepreneurial skills critical in any market sector.

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Heidi Leuszler

Parkland: Associate Professor, Biology

Abstract: Environmental Biology

Environmental Biology at Parkland College, BIO 104, is a multi-section course for non-life science major students desiring to complete their life science general education requirement. The current curriculum of this course predominantly focuses on content knowledge and the exploration of global environmental issues. The intent is for students to gain the knowledge necessary to reflect on their own actions as consumers and waste-producers, in turn taking some responsibility for the impacts of their actions locally and globally. A redesign of this curriculum will go beyond the environmental science content and self-reflection objectives, and can challenge students to become social and environmental entrepreneurs with the scientific, economic, and social skills necessary for risk assessment, environmental decision making, and implementation of sustainable practices in a real-world context. In a collaborative design setting, we will redesign BIO 104, focusing on entrepreneurial science, social responsibility and environmental awareness, and produce a novel lab component for both classroom and online delivery. Design of the new curriculum will occur Spring 2006 with a pilot of online labs occurring Summer 2007 (online section) and Fall 2007 (Honors section), assessment and update of the curriculum 2007-2008, with complete transition of all BIO 104 sections by Fall 2008.

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