Announcing the 2023 Cohort of University Innovation Fellows

Congratulations to the 242 students from 63 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 3,100 students since its creation.

“Higher education institutions around the world need student leaders to be involved in shaping the experience of teaching and learning,” said Humera Fasihuddin, co-director of the University Innovation Fellows program. “Students can provide an essential perspective on what learners need to succeed and thrive in the world today, and students can take the lead on making the necessary changes happen at their schools.”

“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 around design, creativity and leadership that will help them in their careers.”

The new Fellows join the program from the following schools:

Aditya College of Engineering
Aditya College of Engineering and Technology
Aditya Engineering College
Alabama A&M University
Catholic University of Uruguay
Central Michigan University
Clark Atlanta University
Clemson University
Elizabeth City State University
Elon University
FH Salzburg (Salzburg University of Applied Sciences)
Fisk University
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Fordham University
George Fox University
Grand Valley State University
Hamburg University of Technology
Hong Kong Baptist University
Iona University
Jackson State University
Johnson C. Smith University
Lincoln University
Lingnan University
Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania
Madanapalle Institute of Technology & Science
Menlo College
Michigan Technological University
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Mississippi Valley State University
Morehouse College
Morgan State University
National Institute of Development Administration
North Carolina Central University
North Dakota State University
Oakwood University
Prasad V. Potluri Siddhartha Institute of Technology
Rowan University
Sophia University
Spelman College
St. Augustine’s University
St. Edward’s University
Swarthmore College
Tennessee State University
The College of New Jersey
The University of Zambia
Tohoku University
Towson University
Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología
Universidad de los Andes, Chile
Universidad de Montevideo
Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas
Universidad Tecnológica (UTEC), UY
University of Cincinnati
University of Galway
University of Georgia
University of North Florida
University of Technology, Sydney
University of Tulsa
University of Twente
Utah Valley University
Vasireddy Venkatadri Institute of Technology
Virginia State University
York College of Pennsylvania

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)
717-982-1218
laurie@dschool.stanford.edu