ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Entrepreneurial Strategies Inaugural Meeting

Minutes

All members of the committee were present with the exception of Jason Boots.

The committee began by citing the immense task before it in attempting to frame a full entrepreneurial plan for Student Success. This requires a scope of information related to trends in the field, ongoing efforts within the organization and a full understanding of departmental and institutional priorities.

The committee felt that it could identify some broad approaches that would be useful in establishing some expectations for Student Success in the pursuit of resources necessary for meeting mission.

Three areas of opportunity were initially identified for pursuit: fundraising/development, grant writing, and collaboration/partnership. User fees were briefly discussed but were felt to be generally unproductive in that they add expense/irritation to the end customer (predominantly student) and can be costly/cumbersome to administer.

Five areas of activity were identified for pursuit: Practices, Portfolios, Partnerships, Priorities, and Platforms.

Practices. Research as to best or new practices was felt to be useful. Review of successful student success level programs at other institutions that have developed needed resources would be in order. Each unit might identify best practice counterparts in their area that would be good models and adapt a KU approach.

Portfolio. A review of Student Success current efforts both at the vice-provost level as well as individual units would provide insights into current activities and proposed endeavors. This would give an overview for possible joint ventures, shared expertise, etc.

Priorities. While each unit will set its own priorities, overall resource priorities need to be established for Student Success—particularly for development efforts. The more clear these priorities can made and communicated, the more effective will be the various units in meeting individual and overall resource goals.

Platform. The means for developing resource efforts must be created, enhanced, and extended. This could consist of a variety of mechanisms. Publication of an overall development brochure for the total organization would be an example. Creation of a common website related to resource needs would be another.

Partnerships. Possibilities may exist for joint endeavors that generate the critical mass in staff, expertise and "infrastructure" for successful resource expansion. Such partnerships may be unit to unit, or in alliances with other entities such as KU departments, community agencies, state consortiums, national entities.

The committee may be most useful as a catalyst for organizational cultural change. By engendering discussions, facilitating interaction, and sharing information, the entrepreneurial spirit of the enterprise may be planted and nurtured.

The stage could be set by the following acts:

1. Reviewing the revised Student Success development priorities & plans

2. Reviewing Academic Partnerships/Research committee efforts

3. Sharing of successful resource development efforts currently in-house

4. Providing pertinent, succinct and stimulating resource creation materials

5. Determining expectations specifically related to mission ("what we do best")
   1. Raise friends not money
   2. Manage university connections (alumni, agencies, corporations, etc)
   3. "Touch"—appreciations, recommendations, collaborations, etc.
   4. University representative

Some actions related to this may be as follows:

1. An inventory of the following by unit and organization:
   1. Grant writing efforts
   2. Fundraising efforts
   3. Collaboration efforts that would yield resource returns/synergies
   4. Identifying of best practice counterparts by each unit for modeling
   5. Contacting each unit's national association for model projects, joint grant efforts, research funding interests, etc.

2. Identify and provide available resources to aid pursuit of grants, donors, and collaborators.
   1. KUCR
   2. KUEA
   3. Others

3. Submission on a regular basis of the following by unit:
   1. A current fundraising plan, priorities and action items
   2. A grant proposal to an funding source
   3. An annual review of collaborations undertaken and currently sought

4. Deploy existing personnel more effectively by:
   1. Having conference goers make development calls while on trip
   2. Prepare students as our best fundraising ambassadors (now & later)
   3. Utilize boards and board members in creating resource/expertise base

These are some very general steps that would invite and compel participation by individuals and units to explore new resource development opportunities. They could be further formalized and fortified over time. A tongue-in-check approach (The Millionaires Club, Monopoly, etc) could be taken to escape some of the inevitable grimness of needing to find dollars.