Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

When Oklahoma State University hosts the 12th annual Experiential Classroom Workshop in September, two of the five Coleman Fellows in attendance will be from Lawrence Tech – Senior lecturer Karen Evans and Assistant Professor James Stevens. The three-day workshop is a rigorous clinic to help university faculty new to entrepreneurship.

Evans is director of Lawrence Tech’s undergraduate management program in the College of Arts and Sciences. She was a Coleman Fellow for the 2009-10 academic year when she designed and developed a course, Creative Entrepreneurship, which has attracted students majoring in architecture, construction management, information technology, imaging, molecular and cell biology, and business.

Evans attended the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO) conference in 2009 and reported back to the Lawrence Tech community. She then led a workshop at the 2010 CEO conference.

“Karen has demonstrated a strong commitment to the Fellows Program. Her passion and desire to create innovative approaches to delivering her material to students is evident,” said Don Reimer, the Coleman Fellows project director at Lawrence Tech.

Stevens was a Coleman Fellow for the 2010-2011 academic year when he designed and created Applied Digital Fabrication, a new course in the College of Architecture and Design that has a strong focus on entrepreneurship. This course uses a pedagogy that engages the student in a “hands-on,” real-world, entrepreneurial learning experience.

The heart of this course is the makeLab that integrates the use of a CNC machine and a 3D printer. “I have visited the makeLab and spoken with his

students. They recognize the value of their entrepreneurial learning experience and the Coleman Fellows Program,” Reimer said.

Stevens describes the role the Coleman Foundation has played in the formation of the makeLab on this blog.

The Coleman Foundation, which focuses primarily on the Midwest, supports cancer care, treatment and research, disability services, and education with a strong emphasis on entrepreneurship. Since 1981, the foundation has committed over $42 million to promote self-employment, improve the quality of entrepreneurship education, and help create a new generation of business owners.

The foundation has developed the Coleman Fellows Program to spread entrepreneurship across academic disciplines at the college level.

Visit www.colemanfoundation.org for more information.

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