Indiana Tech Awarded $1 Million Lilly Endowment Grant

December 5, 2013

Fort Wayne, Ind.—Indiana Tech has been awarded a $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support Tech students in connecting with the careers of today and tomorrow and support area entrepreneurs in turning ideas into business. The grant is part of the Endowment’s statewide Initiative to Promote Opportunities through Educational Collaborations, and will enable Indiana Tech to establish new curricular offerings that align with the modern demands of Indiana’s labor market.

“We are very grateful for the Endowment’s support of our efforts to strengthen the entrepreneurial abilities of our community and prepare our students for career success,” said Dr. Arthur Snyder, Indiana Tech president. “This grant will help us continue to meet the needs of both students and employers and build a better workforce and thriving economy.”

The grant provides support for three Indiana Tech initiatives:

• $500,000 toward the Center for Creative Collaboration, an interdisciplinary assistance center for entrepreneurs and small-business start-ups: The “C3” will bring together community mentors and advisors, as well as faculty and students from the university’s College of Business, College of Engineering and Computer Sciences, and Law School to assist new businesses during their early entrepreneurial life‐cycle (i.e. assessment of market demand, product development and commercialization, business planning and formation). Assistance will continue as needed through early‐start‐up of each business. It will be a one‐stop shop where an entrepreneur can receive assistance in all of the key areas related to a successful start‐up.
• $425,000 toward expansion and enhancement of career services: The Indiana Tech Career Center will use the funds to add career planning requirements for all freshmen in traditional undergraduate programs; expand the Virtual Career Center to better serve students at all of the university’s campuses and online; expand career services and employer outreach at satellite campuses; and expand the Career Readiness Certification Program to satellite campuses.
• $75,000 toward implementation of “backwards design,” a curriculum development approach that will further enhance Indiana Tech’s ability to match its education programs with the needs of today’s employers.

More information on Lilly Endowment can be found at www.lillyendowment.org.