Edward Waters University Scholar Obiajuru Nwadiokwu Named One of 242 University Fellows at Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design

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By Press release submission

Jan 20, 2023

242 students from 63 higher education institutions in 16 countries have been named University Innovation Fellows.

The University Innovation Fellows program empowers students to become agents of change at their schools. Fellows work to ensure that all students gain the attitudes, skills and knowledge required to navigate a complex world and build the future.

These student leaders from schools around the globe create opportunities to help their peers build the creative confidence, agency, and entrepreneurial mindset needed to address global challenges. Fellows create student innovation spaces, start entrepreneurship organizations, facilitate experiential workshops, work with faculty and administrators to develop new courses, and much more. They serve as advocates for lasting institutional change with academic leaders, lending the much-needed student voice to the conversations about the future of higher education.

The program is run by Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school). With the addition of the new Fellows, the program has trained more than 2,800 students since its creation.

“Higher education needs student leaders involved in shaping the experience of teaching and learning,” said Humera Fasihuddin, co-director of the University Innovation Fellows program. “This group of 177 join the 65 Fellows who were launched last month as part of an early training pilot that began over the summer.”

“The new Fellows are designing experiences that help all students learn skills and mindsets necessary to navigate these uncertain times and to shape the future they want to see,” said Leticia Britos Cavagnaro, co-director of the University Innovation Fellows program. “They are giving back to their school communities, and at the same time, they’re learning strategies that will help them serve as leaders in their careers after graduation.” Hasso Plattner Institute of Design 416 Escondido Mall, Building 550, Room 169 Stanford, CA 94305-3086 universityinnovationfellows.org team@universityinnovation.orgeam

The new Fellows join the program from the following schools:

Aditya College of Engineering
College of Engineering and Technology
Aditya Engineering College
Bogazici University
Bowie State University
Catholic University of Uruguay
Central Michigan University
Edward Waters University
Elizabeth City State University
Elon University
Erasmus University Rotterdam
FH Salzburg (Salzburg University of Applied Sciences)
Fisk University
Fordham University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Grand Valley State University
Hamburg University of Technology
Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
Iona College
Istanbul Technical University
Jackson State University
James Madison University
Johnson C. Smith University
Khalifa University of Science and Technology
Koç University
Lingnan University
Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania
Macquarie University
Madanapalle Institute of Technology & Science
Marshall University
Menlo College
Michigan Technological University
Middle East Technical University
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Morgan State University
National Institute of Development Administration
North Dakota State University
Oakwood University
Ohio University
Oregon Institute of Technology
Prasad V. Potluri Siddhartha Institute of Technology
Shaw University
Sophia University
South Plains College
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
St. Augustine’s University
Swarthmore College
Tennessee State University
Tohoku University
Universidad Católica del Uruguay, Salto-Punta del Este
Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología
Universidad de los Andes, Chile
Universidad de Montevideo
Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas
University of Cincinnati
University of North Florida
University of Puerto Rico at Bayamon
University of Twente
Utah Valley University
UTEC
V R Siddhartha Engineering College
Vasireddy Venkatadri Institute of Technology
Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering
Virginia Tech

Fellows are nominated by faculty and administrators as individuals or teams of students and selected through an application process each year. Following acceptance into the program, students participate in a 6-week online training experience. During training, Fellows learn to analyze their campus ecosystems and identify opportunities for change related to innovation, entrepreneurship, design thinking, and creativity. They work to understand the needs of peers across disciplines and the perspectives of faculty and administrators. They apply this new knowledge and perspective to design new educational opportunities for their peers. After training, Fellows implement the projects they crafted. They continue to serve as change agents and leaders at their schools and beyond.

Faculty and administrators who guide Fellows, known as Faculty Champions, also have the ability to engage in a community of Faculty Innovation Fellows. This cohort-based program is a two-year experience that helps educators work to identify and design their own projects to make a difference at their schools. Led by a team of veteran Faculty Champions, candidates are part of a community of practice, collaborating with other faculty and staff from around the world to learn new change strategies.