(March 18, 2013 – Arlington, VA) Three leading universities have been designated as Changemaker Campuses by Ashoka U —for being leaders in social innovation education. Boston College, Dublin City University (Ireland), and University of Northampton (UK) will join the Changemaker Campus consortium—a dynamic, global network of students, faculty and fellows who share inspiration, connections and support.

The network is dedicated to making higher education more accessible and relevant at a time of rising costs, dropping endowment returns and troubling unemployment rates for graduating students among higher education institutions. At the same time, today’s students’ expectations of their educational experiences are changing: 72% percent say that having a job “where I can make a difference” is very important and 65% expect to make a positive social or environmental impact through their work, according to a 2012 Net Impact study conducted by Rutgers University and supported by the MacArthur Foundation.

“The educational goals of students are changing,” said Ashoka U’s co-founder and executive director, Marina Kim. “These student demands add a new dimension to the call for innovation in higher education: How can colleges and universities foster the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that equip graduates to address increasingly complex global challenges? Every student should get the chance to acquire the skills necessary to make a difference in the world.”

Ashoka Founder and CEO Bill Drayton with President Brian MacCraith of Dublin City University at the Changemaker Campus Designation Ceremony

Boston College, Dublin City University (Ireland), and University of Northampton (UK) were selected as Changemaker Campuses based on their unique contribution to social innovation education.

• Boston College, a Jesuit institution, utilizes social innovation as a pathway to social justice. As the first institution to launch a social innovation program from the Graduate School of Social Work, Boston College not only provides students the opportunity to become changemakers through its Social Innovation and Leadership master’s degree, but also invites traditional service agencies and community organizations to build social innovation capacity by participating in BC’s Social Innovation Lab.

• Working closely with social partners from some of Dublin’s most disadvantaged communities, Dublin City University accompanies the entire lifecycle to cultivate more diverse changemakers. Starting with the Access Program, DCU supports underprivileged students from secondary and even elementary schools all the way through attaining a DCU degree and beyond, through the life-long learning opportunities of the Age-Friendly University Initiative. Through these initiatives, DCU makes social innovation skills more attainable for those who are best poised to employ them for the good of their communities.

• At University of Northampton (UK), Vice Chancellor Nick Petford has made social enterprise core to the institution’s strategic vision. And it shows – social enterprise permeates institutional communications and campus culture. But more importantly, this strategic commitment enables every student and faculty member to contribute to, or even create their own social enterprise. The result: faculty and student-run social enterprises are strengthening the institution’s financial sustainability and advancing student learning and employability.

Over the last five years, 22 colleges and universities have received the special status of a Changemaker Campus—which provides universities with the resources, connection and network to transform their college campus into a social innovation hub.

By 2015, Ashoka U will grow the consortium to 30 diverse institutions—each with unique contributions, and at least 5 outside of the U.S.—demonstrating that a more entrepreneurial, innovative, and world-changing higher education sector is possible.

About Ashoka and Ashoka U

Founded in 1981, Ashoka has identified 3,000 leading social entrepreneurs (Ashoka Fellows) in 70 countries. While we continue to seek and support new social entrepreneurs—individuals with innovative solutions to society’s most pressing social problems—ultimately, Ashoka envisions an Everyone A Changemaker world: a world that responds quickly and effectively to social challenges, and where each individual has the freedom, confidence and societal support to address any social problem and drive change.

Ashoka U – the university division of Ashoka – promotes robust, interdisciplinary approaches to teaching, research, and action in social innovation. Together we ask: How can the university experience become more of a world-changing experience? Ashoka U also hosts The Exchange: the world’s largest convening for social entrepreneurship education, bringing together 600 individuals representing over 100 institutions from 30 countries.

I had a recent realization – many emerging social enterprises are coming out with similar products and services designed to create the same impact as their preceding counterparts. Many of these new “innovations” are competing only to add marginal benefit. This insight makes me stop and question whether creating social enterprise after social enterprise with similar value propositions is the best way to create social impact. Perhaps what we need is not an influx of social enterprises engaged in similar work, but new social enterprises with an alternative focus that provides a boost to those that already have stable footing.

The idea already exists in the for-profit business world. Elastic Inc., a company featured in the Co-Exist article “Changing How We Sell Things, To Make Companies More Successful,” is one of many companies that has found market opportunities through this principle. The company provides a holistic option for other companies to outsource a portion of their sales function when their growth plateaus. Essentially, Elastic Inc. thrives off of filling in the gaps in existing companies.

A similar orientation is needed in the social enterprise space where a portion of new social enterprises should focus less on competing along similar offerings and refocus on boosting the success of existing social enterprises. Riders for Health is one of the few social enterprises that has adopted this perspective. The company provides logistics and transportation solutions to organizations focused on improving healthcare in Africa. Instead of simply creating incremental change by entering as another healthcare organization, Riders for Health has a multiplying effect that creates widespread impact by the simple addition of its service. Riders for Health’s story is just one example of the potential social impact this refocused orientation can create.

Social enterprises solving unaddressed social problems are indispensible, but social enterprises like Riders for Health are an essential support in helping them create widespread social impact and are largely missing in this space. Think about it and maybe you will discover that your next social enterprise opportunity lies along this new proliferating perspective.

About the Author: Sonaly Patel is a recent graduate of the R.H. Smith School of Business. Through her involvement with the Center for Social Value Creation, she worked as a strategy consultant for a livelihoods initiative for cacao producing communities in Ecuador’s rainforests and a communications consultant for Liberty’s Promise, a local nonprofit serving immigrant youth. At Maryland, she was a founding member of Students Ending Slavery, a leader in the AshokaU campus initiative, and a proud resident of Language House Spanish Cluster. During her undergraduate years, she also interned at the Grassroots Business Fund in DC and studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain. Upon graduation, Sonaly moved to India to live and work in Mumbai through the IDEX Fellowship in Social Enterprise. She will be in India until May 2013.

I just wanted to share a few exciting things. Last year several great things happened. Most exciting, I was invited to speak at the 2012 Ashoka U Exchange held at Arizona State University! I also had the privilege to meet several like-minded and awesome people! Before that I worked with several students at the University of San Diego to create THINK, a student organization that focuses on addressing social issues while sharing a meal. The intent of THINK was to get people together that normally don’t cross paths and have them discuss social issues and actually do things in their community to help solve them.

While getting THINK off the ground I created a social justice superhero called Anomaly that addresses social issues via a digital comic book app. I created a company called Altruistic Behavior & Innovations Group in January and a subsidiary company called Global Digital Comics to publish the comic book. Just a few of the issues we address are: Human Trafficking, Bullying, Alcohol Abuse, Homelessness, and Teen Illicit Drug Use. We have been giving our highly interactive digital comic book app away for free for a limited time and we would like for people to check it out. The app is almost ready to launch, so those who subscribe before we launch before Christmas will get the app for free. Go to www.gdanomaly.com and subscribe.

Some of the many features of the app are character voice overs, music tracks and sound tracks, sound effects, and links to sites that address the social issues that we talk about in our comic book.

In order to keep raising awareness about human trafficking we have entered a short film contest and need to garner as many votes as possible to win. When Global Digital Comics wins the contest with your help, we will donate $1,000 to California Against Slavery. We are a young company and need help to make this possible. Please do the following and help us spread the word about social issues.

1. Go to www.bingenow.com
2. Click on Sign Up in the upper right corner of the page
3. Fill out the Sign Up information (MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS)
4. An email will be sent to your Spam folder from Binge (the email in your regular mail is a welcome message only)
5. Go to your Spam folder and click the (VERIFY LINK)
6. Go to bingenow.com and login
7. Use the Binge search bar and type in: The Abduction
8. Click the link to the video and then below the video click the thumbs up.

When you vote you are automatically entered into a drawing to win $1,000.

It’s as simple as that. Spread the word!

“Motivate those around you and you will be motivated by those around you.”

In today’s world, we are surrounded by imagery: marketing advertisements, television, online resources, camera phone photos, and personal photo libraries. Some images move us to action. Others tell a story. And a few images can change the course of history.

What photographs move you? And why?

In the second installation of Ashoka U Online, the university division of Ashoka has teamed up with PhotoWings, an educational non-profit devoted to using the power of photography to influence the world, to offer an 8-week online seminar to build changemaking skills through photography. You can sign up for the seminar– either as an individual or as a group – by October 19, 2012

Starting Tuesday, October 23rd, participants will build a substantial understanding of their own motivations and self-identity, while learning from experts, mentors and one another about the importance of perspective, context, communication, and trust as a foundation for creative and effective social change.

PhotoWings Founder and President, Suzie Katz shares her vision: “In this seminar we’ll explore a myriad of thoughtful new ways to think about photographs, including deep-seeing and deep-listening techniques. We’re all about the Big Idea and dimension – ideas to think about, discuss with others, and carry as a tool in you toolbox for both life and work.”

The world of photography will serve as a medium through which participants will take a deep dive into their personal interests and aspirations. All participants will benefit from an incredible wide array of open PhotoWings educational resources, including their deep linking Resource Center, provocative interviews, and in-depth yet accessible features.

The seminar is free and completely open to the public. It is designed as a conversation-based experience to help participants develop personal connections and cross-disciplinary collaboration opportunities for student groups or community organizations.

The goal of the seminar is to help participants gain valuable skills to use in work and in life, including: out-of-the-box research, communication techniques, gaining trust and access, visual literacy, critical thinking, applied empathy, resilience, ethical considerations, preservation, and other critical changemaker aptitudes.

As a final project, participants will develop a powerful and creative project to demonstrate their explorative journey as a changemaker. Exceptional final projects will be eligible for inclusion in a video that will be featured at the TEDxAshokaU on Friday, February 22 to 1,300 people in San Diego, CA at the historic Balboa Theater (with thousands viewing online) and/or form part of an artistic exhibit that will be displayed at the Ashoka U Exchange at the University of San Diego.

Ashoka U and PhotoWings invite eager participants to sign up for the seminar– either as an individual or as a group – by October 19, 2012. Join in PhotoWing’s mission to help photography be better understood, created, utilized, seen, and saved.

Among the speakers on the concept—including Governor John Kitzhaber and Portland Mayor Sam Adams—two stood out for their own experience creating successful social enterprises: Amelia Pape, co-founder of My Street Grocery, and Amanda West, co-founder of EcoZoom. My Street Grocery is a mobile grocer providing healthy, affordable food throughout Portland, and EcoZoom designs and distributes inexpensive, high-efficiency cookstoves in developing nations.

They shared more than just a commitment to business for good—both had participated in Portland State University’s (PSU) Social Innovation Incubator. The student founder of Elkarti, one of the PSU teams pitching at the event, is also a graduate of the Incubator.

In all, six PSU student teams participated in the Challenge:

• Bare Bottoms aims to start a for-profit baby goods product line and store to fund a diaper bank that will provide diapers to low-income families.
• Compass Rose will be a sustainable café with a job-training program for local disadvantaged youth populations.
• Elkarti, an ethical fashion line, partners with Moroccan artisans to create unique accessories and supports them through direct market relationships and educational programs.
• Open Source Medical Solutions has developed a prototype for a low-cost vision assistance device that will be assembled by engineering students and distributed globally through partner organizations.
• Waste-Not Warriors will collect local organic waste from grocery stores, food co-ops, and landscape contractors to be transformed into compost.
• Wealth and Health Gardens will establish a self-funding community garden and holistic health support group run by refugees.

Although Open Source Medical Solutions and Waste-Not Warriors advanced to the final round, a team from Oregon State University ultimately took top prize for their proposed sports league to serve children with disabilities.

Regardless of their final ranking, all the participants—and the audience as well—left with inspiring proof of what Muhammad Yunus said at the beginning of the event: “The problems that we see around us are not as intractable as they look from the outside.”

Student working through the Ballard Center at BYU

This cohort of four diverse institutions join a consortium of 15 Changemaker Campuses already selected for their institutional commitment to positive social and environmental impact and innovative programs that develop students as changemakers.

To receive the Changemaker Campus designation, BYU, Brown, PSU, and Rollins have gone through a rigorous selection process over many months, during which change teams showcase all things changemaking at their respective institutions.

PSU’s Social Enterprise Field Study Program in India

The selection process included a campus portfolio application; Ashoka U interviews with faculty, administrators, staff, and students; a campus site visit; as well as a final selection panel composed of leaders in social innovation and higher education. Check out this year’s Changemaker Campus selection panel.

Once colleges and universities join the consortium, our goal is for Ashoka U to serve as accelerator, thought partner and convener to support Changemaker Campuses in reaching their institutional goals, to facilitate best-practice sharing across the consortium, and to connect Changemaker Campuses to collaborative projects with Ashoka programs and leading social entrepreneurs in the field.

In partnership with Changemaker Campuses and many, many others, we’re well on our way to building a diverse field of social entrepreneurship education consisting of a wide variety of different institutional types, sizes, and geographic locations with impressive initiatives and results. That’s our response to higher education’s crisis of relevance: demonstrating that an innovative, entrepreneurial, and world-changing higher education sector is possible, and showcasing effective and replicable models for any college or university to adopt.

Participate today!

Over the next few weeks, we will feature each of the new Changemaker Campuses and the innovative programs that they’ve built. In the meantime, read about Changemaker Campus Day at Rollins College and celebrate and connect with campuses that foster and promote creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship by hosting an Ice Cream Social Innovation today. (Thanks to the Middlebury College Changemaker Campus team for this brilliant initiative!) Here’s how:

1.  Join the Facebook group titled Ice Cream Social Innovation (https://www.facebook.com/IceCreamSocialInnovation)

2.  Buy some ice cream from a local company

3.  Upload a picture of your program celebrating

Innovation is breaking free of the status quo. It’s a new approach to a problem or opportunity, re-envisioning a process or identifying a new target market. The crux of innovation is creativity. But how is it practiced, or inspired?

This was my scholars’ summer challenge in ThinkImpact’s Innovation Institute. The Innovation Institute brings university students from the United States to rural African communities to develop market-based solutions to social problems in partnership with community members. I advised 5 scholars in Nkomangwa, Rwanda this summer to innovatively tackle problems related to electricity, compositing and chicken productivity.

After immersing themselves, getting inspired and inviting community members to join them in innovation Design Teams (DT), the scholars began to experiment with methods that had the potential to elicit innovation in their problem areas. The scholars quickly found that their community partners were very willing to participate, which further reinforced their entrepreneurial spirit.

Entrepreneurial spirit and willingness, however, doesn’t always translate into innovation. Entrepreneurs are willing to take risks and start businesses, but innovation is not a requirement for success. From emerging markets- the epicenter of entrepreneurship- to American suburbs, most entrepreneurs do what they know. Think: basic commodities & foodstuffs in the former and cafes & cupcakes in the latter. Entrepreneurship should not be confused with innovation, as many examples of entrepreneurship often involve replicating an existing idea.

So how do we inspire innovation? To put it simply: by focusing on assets and identifying a manageable problem to tackle.

In their design team, it was imperative for the scholars to recognize the importance of being asset-minded. If the team could not conceive of their manifold assets, they would have become paralyzed by their problems. For example, one of the scholars, Manvir, demonstrated asset-mindedness by prompting his DT members to brainstorm alternative uses for a 1.5L water bottle. From planters to a tool for water catchment, they identified 18 uses.

Once the DTs internalized their asset wealth, they were able to determine the social problem they wanted to tackle. After another one of my scholars, Jason, helped his team narrow their scope, they conducted market research on how local households were taking care of their chickens, deepening their insights and perspective on the “chicken productivity” problem.

Asset-mindedness and problem identification frame the pursuit for innovative solutions. But “knowing thy customer” helped the Design Teams channel their innovative energies into the production of desirable products and services.

Innovation became a spectacle of prototyping, reiterating and refining approaches to problem-solving. It was planned and spontaneous, collaborative and disjointed, remarkable and mundane. Innovation is not magic or chance; it is a conscious process of identifying a problem, seeing the problem as an opportunity, and using the resources available to address the issue in a market-sensitive manner.
___

Ashlee graduated in 2012 from the Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy, a partner of the Ashoka U Changemaker Campus Initiative. As a center for social innovation, Milano’s Social Innovation Initiative exposes students, faculty, and the public to experienced and socially innovative changemakers. Follow her journey at ashesrose.tumblr.com.

Along with Nicholas Kristof, New York Times columnist and author of ‘Half the Sky’, Ashoka U and the entire college community celebrated Rollins College’s designation as Changemaker Campus through Rollins’ Changemaker Campus Day.

The whole campus was covered in CHANGEMAKING IN PROGRESS “caution” tape, and the change team wore Changemaker “safety” vests to signify the campus-wide commitment of Rollins College to develop changemakers.

Throughout the day, students explored social entrepreneurship and sustainability initiatives and opportunities to “unlock their inner changemaker.”

Big congratulations to the change team at Rollins College for getting front page coverage in the Orlando Sentinel’s print copy on Friday!

Rollins College is the 16th institution globally and the first in Florida to receive the Changemaker Campus designation. Rollins was selected for its unique marriage of a strong liberal arts education with a deep commitment to experiential education, coupled with its national leadership in community engagement.

Driven by student demand, the Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability initiative (SESi) has grown dramatically over the past two years with a remarkable cross-disciplinary and cross-division task force of faculty, administrators, and staff working together to create a strategic vision and plan, and establishing a new director of social innovation position reporting to the Provost.

Stay tuned as we announce additional Changemaker Campuses in the next few weeks.

Resolution Fellows are actively making change on six continents, working in vital areas like water, education, healthcare, technology, and sustainability. Partners include Harvard’s Igniting Innovation Summit, the Earth Institute at Columbia, the World Model UN Conference, and the Youth Assembly at the UN – now it’s your turn! To learn more about bringing an SVC to your campus or about upcoming SVCs, please send an email to: svc@resolutionproject.org.

Earlier this summer, Ashoka U identified and brought together a remarkable set of innovators for higher education at Ashoka U’s first Influencer event. In addition to presenting the excellent work of Changemaker Campuses, our aim was to reach out to a broader network and explore together: How might we apply social innovation to tackle some of higher education’s biggest challenges?

Over the past few weeks, we have processed the many ideas we collectively shared during the event, and have now begun to publish a series of blog posts, synthesizing and showcasing participants’ contributions. Two more articles will be posted next week, so be sure to check back on the Ashoka blog!

We would love to hear your reactions via comments on each of the blog posts. A great place to start is the introductory Ashoka U Influencer post: “How might social innovation change the course of higher eduation?”

And finally, check out the report that includes a summary of the presentations, select thoughts and ideas shared at the event, as well as steps we plan to take in the next few months through Ashoka U’s Influencer community.