About the Center for Innovation and Analytics

Description of the Center

The Center of Innovation and Analytics focuses on the communication, planning, research, and other efforts of DCOBE faculty and students interested in innovation and analytics. The Center will facilitate a university-wide innovation and analytics collaboration with workshops and seminars open to all faculty and students.

As a university resource, the Center puts students first. Students will be better prepared to meet the expectations of employers by participating in opportunities provided by the Center. Business leaders, community supporters, and alumni will further serve our students by advising and mentoring them to become successful.

Our two primary pillars, Innovation and Analytics, ensure faculty, staff, students, alumni, members of the local community, and industries have access to the most current “thinking” and “doing” in the areas of innovation and analytics.

Vision

To be a premier Center with a strong focus on student learning and faculty involvement in solving real-life business problems in active collaboration with industry partners. We envision the Center as becoming the “destination of choice” for students, entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, alumni, community partners, faculty, and staff interested in innovation and analytics.

Mission

The Center provides students with opportunities to tackle real-world challenges creatively, while discovering innovative skills and analytical abilities, through workshops and projects with businesses wanting to explore applications of innovation and analytics.  

Goals

  • To be recognized for challenging minds, cultivating talents, and connecting people in a technology-rich learning environment
  • To be known for providing an active learning environment that develops analytical and innovative business professionals for a dynamic, global economy
  • To become increasingly known as a model for student-centered learning that transforms students into graduates who are among the most sought after by the nation’s best employers and leaders in their communities and chosen careers.

Commitment to Students

Today, innovation, big data, analytics, and new business process ideas are center stage, but we must always remember that students are our reason for existence. Most colleges and universities acknowledge that there is much work ahead to prepare students for success in an ever-changing business world. We, in the DCOBE, are engaging and facilitating a student’s intellectual curiosity, while helping students become job-ready. The Center will assist students in acquiring the necessary skills, knowledge, and abilities to make them desired by employers through opportunities provided within the Center. As educators, we have a responsibility to our students to help them become the ones driving innovation rather than being disrupted by it.  

Outreach

In concert with the outstanding outreach efforts of other DCOBE centers, the Center for Innovation and Analytics will:

  • Enhance regional economic development by connecting students and faculty with the business community
  • Equip students, alumni, businesses, and government agencies with the skills, knowledge, and ability to create, innovate, and grow sustainable ventures
  • Offer consulting services and expertise to help businesses, non-profits, and government agencies understand the advantages of innovation and analytics and apply them to their specific needs
  • Offer workshops and training for faculty, staff, students, and members of the DCOBE and greater outreach communities in innovation and analytics throughout the year to grow personally and professionally by learning from experts and business professionals who have “walked the walk and talked the talk.”