277 students named University Innovation Fellows for 2021

Congratulations to the 277 students from 73 higher education institutions in 15 countries who have been named University Innovation Fellows this year! 

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 2,600 students since its creation. 

“Higher education needs student change agents now more than ever,” said Leticia Britos Cavagnaro, co-director of the University Innovation Fellows program. “The pandemic has forced our school’s leaders and faculty to change the way they educate students. This is our second cohort of Fellows impacted by the pandemic, and they’ve truly embraced this opportunity to help their schools adapt to today’s challenges.”

“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 Humera Fasihuddin, 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.”

The new Fellows join the program from the following schools:

• American University of Beirut
• Bina Nusantara University
• Bowie State University
• California State University, Fullerton
• Catholic University of Uruguay
• Central Michigan University
• Cleveland State University
• Colorado School of Mines
• Dian Nuswantoro University
• Elizabeth City State University
• Elon University
• Erasmus University Rotterdam
• FH Salzburg (Salzburg University of Applied Sciences)
• Foothill College
• Fordham University
• George Fox University
• Hamburg University of Technology
• Hollins University
• Institut Pertanian Bogor
• Institut Teknologi Bandung
• Institut Teknologi Harapan Bangsa
• Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember
• Iona College
• James Madison University
• Johnson C. Smith University
• Khalifa University of Science and Technology
• Koç University
• Lingnan University
• Louisiana Tech University
• Loyola University Maryland
• Madanapalle Institute of Technology & Science
• Menlo College
• Michigan Technological University
• Morgan State University
• National Institute of Development Administration
• North Carolina Central University
• Oakwood University
• Padjadjaran University
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Rowan University
• Rutgers the State University of New Jersey
• Santa Clara University
• Santa Monica College
• Sophia University
• Southern Illinois University Carbondale
• Spelman College
• Swarthmore College
• Telkom University
• Tennessee State University
• TOBB University of Economics and Technology
• Tohoku University
• Tuskegee University
• Udayana University
• Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología
• Universidad de los Andes, Chile
• Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas
• Universidad Tecnológica del Uruguay
• Universitas Brawijaya
• Universitas Gadjah Mada
• Universitas Gunadarma
• Universitas Indonesia
• Universitas Terbuka
• University of Cincinnati
• University of Nebraska at Omaha
• University of North Florida
• University of Richmond
• University of Southern California
• University of Twente
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• Utah Valley University
• Vasireddy Venkatadri Institute of Technology
• Virginia State University
• VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology

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. 

About the University Innovation Fellows program:

The University Innovation Fellows program empowers students to become agents of change at their schools. The Fellows are a global community of students leading a movement to ensure that all students gain the necessary attitudes, skills and knowledge required to compete in the economy of the future. These student leaders from schools around the country create new opportunities that help their peers develop an entrepreneurial mindset, build creative confidence, seize opportunities, define problems and address global challenges. Fellows are creating student innovation spaces, founding entrepreneurship organizations, hosting experiential events, and working with faculty and administrators to develop courses. They serve as advocates for lasting institutional change with academic leaders and represent their schools at national events. The University Innovation Fellows is a program of Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school). Learn more at universityinnovationfellows.org.

Media contact:

Laurie Moore
Communications Director
University Innovation Fellows Program
Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school)
(650) 561-6113
laurie@dschool.stanford.edu