INSTILLING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET INTO ENGINEERING UNDERGRADUATES

Engineering is valuable in solving technical problems. Problem solving alone, however, is insufficient to create new-to-the-world products. Engineering leverages the knowledge of technology and is able to bring real value to the global marketplace, especially in the areas of new or disruptive technology capable of improving the lives of others in a global marketplace. New product creation generates both jobs and revenue for companies in which engineers work; it is also the engine that maintains a country's leadership position in the world's economy. Engineering education, therefore, must teach engineers-to-be how to be entrepreneurially minded so they can be key influencers in creating new products. This new educational paradigm must include not only instruction in the technical fundamentals of engineering, but also incorporate insight into the importance of customer awareness, an introduction to business principles, as well as a focus on societal needs and values. These precepts need to be integrated into curricular as well as co- and extra-curricular activities. This paper defines the entrepreneurial engineer and explains the means by which KEEN colleges are preparing more entrepreneurial engineers in our society. We describe the structure of the Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network (KEEN), its approach to effecting the changes necessary to train entrepreneurially minded engineers. Champions at network institutions are building strategic relationships within the colleges, increasing organizational capacity (e.g., faculty development,) and growing the base of support at all levels. The network's intent is to leverage the strengths of the institutions across the network and to build models that can be emulated even outside of the network. This paper also acknowledges challenges in assessing individual impacts, or measurable changes in students' attitudes, behaviors and skills, outside of anecdotal evidence; we suggests that accumulating longitudinal data will strengthen initial conclusions.