Six solution fundamentals of consumerist university

There are six key elements of entrepreneurial university, Dares Ramjugernath professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa by the rector - good leadership and governance, capacity incentives, entrepreneurship teaching and learning, entrepreneurial culture, stakeholder partnerships and internationalization.

Innovation and entrepreneurship development and nation-building was part of what universities really have to do, say the pro-innovation, commercialization and entrepreneurship rector.

"But universities are now driven by aid formulas, driven by the world rankings, so being number one or number two in the country in terms of research driven, that's what a university, and they have lost perspective on what it means to build a nation means."

Ramjugernath speech was delivered by the International Network of South Africa's Eighth Annual Technology Conference 2015 "Entrepreneurship Education for Economic Renewal", the science park Vaal University of Technology was held on October 19-21.

The dizzying pace of change

the device was used to describe the dizzying pace of change. While she took 15,000 years for humans to move on all fours to go from sitting in front of a computer, it took only 30 years to go there on foot cell.

"There is now more computational power, but NASA scientists have at their disposal in your hands, put a man on the moon."

Technology and innovation allows for rapid development of today, and the drivers of innovation in universities. "As soon as you realize, also, we must remember that we evolve. We cannot stand still to universities as we have been doing. "

Hundreds of years ago, about a privileged elite university were providing academic training. Today people are on staff training.

"But we have lost the plot. How we produce graduates for the workforce fit for purpose? I have to go too far from the line by the number of college graduates we measure the success of the plate and down. Not because we are worried about the quality of our aid will come down."

Employers are "very concerned" about the quality of graduates produced by universities, and what is needed, regardless of the national and global levels, he said. Employers will invest the time to "huge amounts of money" were on the training of graduates.

The universities, in turn, are not enough to respond to the evolving knowledge economy. They had to change curricula, and in order to deal with the problems of national and global approaches, and the need to become more entrepreneurial.

Ramjugernath suggested six key elements of entrepreneurial universities.

Leadership and Governance

'Innovation' and 'entrepreneurship', the vision and mission statements were included as many universities, institutions were only "paying lip service to these terms," ​​and were not fully invested.

Each institution, said Ramjugernath, innovation and entrepreneurship to pull together and coordinate initiatives across all levels of the organization must be entrepreneurial executive portfolio.

"When we talk about entrepreneurship is not something that just sits on the executive management of the organization should not also have to sit down schools, departments and units at the level. That we breathe, and live every day as an institution must be something. "

Similarly, if the university to make a difference, innovation and entrepreneurship to drive the agendas of governments and the private sector are required.

Incentive how many other papers in internationally recognized journals are created - Today most universities performance management driven research outputs.

"What we should be doing, to promote innovation and entrepreneurial behavior."

Entrepreneurship should be adequate funding and resources, said Ramjugernath, but the university should not - as is often the case - believe that innovation and entrepreneurship at the university to solve the problems of the third power generating income.

"Investing in Innovation and Entrepreneurship is not for short-term gain. The medium to long-term investment, and if it is the right time to begin to reap long-term benefits in the medium institutions." But in the short term, investments should be made.

University, he continued to work in a hole in the discipline. "But if you want to be creative and innovative and enterprising you’ve got to break down the silos" and the discipline and discipline.

Out graduates in any field, such as nursing, such as business environment, it is also to be able to access it. "In this environment to operate, no matter what their level of training they need to be able to give."

Universities and the business community to engage together. "But we have a textbook on entrepreneurship for students and tell them, 'This is what you should be doing. A lot of time people do not live in the talks with the entrepreneurial class to themselves, so that the text books, as well as talking.

"It is important that a talented entrepreneur to integrate into the education programs that we have, in fact, the best way to do this is just one example. There is no better way than a successful entrepreneur to come here and say, 'this is where I was 10 years old, this is what you get I can do it '. "

Employees also need to be an entrepreneur, said Ramjugernath, and staff development should be supported. There was a misconception that entrepreneurship is just about the development of the business, but this is not the case:

"All the qualities that you look for an entrepreneur - a consistent behavior, the ability to recover from failures, durability, do not take no for an answer, passion, and so on." These qualities were taught the staff, the university would become much more effective, he added.

"Obviously we have to encourage and reward the kind of behavior."

Teaching and learning

It was essential for universities to develop entrepreneurial mindset and skills. "You live in an age where technology changes on the day but still have a lot of institutional boards and chalkboards we live in. We need to be innovative and entrepreneurial approach to teaching."

It is learning to change, Ramjugernath explained. Today learning is visual and multimedia. "Entrepreneurial behavior must be compatible with the organization of teaching and learning, and we need to validate the result of the entrepreneurial."

Cooperate with universities and research and teaching activities must be taken into account to engage with external stakeholders, entrepreneurship training integrated with the results of the investigation.

Today, he added, just in academics and researchers in universities are so good that "we kind of punish them when they become entrepreneurial being" focused. Among other things, people should be given the space, as long as you also have to do their research.

"In fact, our staff and students who are entrepreneurs are more successful than we are to be proud of."

Cultures of entrepreneurship Universities need to raise awareness of the importance of entrepreneurship, actively encourage individuals to become entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship and support the implementation of the idea and the action moves to the experience.

There should be mentoring by academics and people in the industry.

"The important thing is to be on the campus of the financing of entrepreneurial activity", stressed Ramjugernath mainstream, outside, whether it was venture or other funding. "It is important to be guided by the coordinated work of this organization.

"All of science, technology and innovation and business incubation facilities department to take the idea all the way to the market should be trying to help.

"This creates opportunities for students to get first-hand exposure to business start-ups and entrepreneurs; they have won the day-to-day knowledge of the talks, the type of innovation into the environment, come up with an idea and then take it to market."

Relationships and partnerships

By Ramjugernath "stakeholder relations and strategic business alliances key to driving innovation and entrepreneurship." Cooperation with universities and industry, society and the public sector must be committed to making the exchange of knowledge and cooperation and relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.

Close ties and exchanges dynamic business incubators, science parks and other initiatives related to innovation and business, activities and initiatives with industry and business to be attended by staff and students.

'Ivory tower' mentality was undermining the possibility of a fruitful relationship. Companies and governments should be encouraged to visit the campus, and universities need to go and talk to them - "It should be seamless," he said Ramjugernath.

No workers, students, government and industry must have the mobility of workers, as well as the knowledge of all of these actions related to the ecosystem.

Internationalization

Internationalization strategy is an essential aspect of entrepreneurship in any university, and international students and teachers, to attract international and entrepreneurial staff, showing the internationalization of education and international networks involved in the mobility.

"Internationalization of innovation and entrepreneurship, we can not go down that road is really pushing the agenda," said Ramjugernath. "We've got to use the global resources of our company and drive this agenda.

"It is very important to have mobility -. Not just the exchange of ideas and knowledge, but students and staff, so it is a cultural exchange, as well as"

Conclusion

Innovation and entrepreneurship is the key to addressing socio-economic challenges, and the universities directly, such as unemployment, poverty, low economic growth and the need to deal with problems such as inequality.

Today, said Ramjugernath, universities are sufficient to train and graduate students who will find their way into the workforce and to solve the challenge of assuming - and, indeed, actually teaching, research and community outreach are some good.

But higher education wants to be involved more directly.

"University teaching and learning, research and innovation and a commitment to the evolving needs of the business drivers. And innovation and entrepreneurship should work with all operating systems -. The best interests of the nation and the citizens"