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Collaboration Station Students drive the creation of an accessible and impressive new incubator space. 2 Ideas are powerful, but they require the right environment to reach their full potential. Following an ambitious, early-2017 overhaul of space in Marquette’s 707 Building, the 707 Hub is providing students with that environment.
“This is truly an incubator space,” says Megan Carver, Comm ’08, associate director of the Kohler Center for
Entrepreneurship. With its focus on promoting idea generation, fostering new business ventures and encouraging innovation and creative cross-collaborations, the Kohler program has a highly compatible roommate in the hub. It’s joined by Marquette’s Social Innovation Initiative, which helps students and community organizations build capacity to tackle social issues. Mentoring, workshops, speaker series, funding and community partnerships are all parts of the hub package — “all the connections and resources students need to grow their ideas,” says Carver. SARA RAE LANCASTER
“Social innovators can learn a lot from entrepreneurs about business practices and bringing ideas into action, and entrepreneurs can learn a lot from those who are passionate about social issues.” Kelsey Otero, Grad ’14, associate director, Social Innovation Initiative
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marquette university discover 2017
STUDENT-POWERED INNOVATION Meet two seniors in the College of Business Administration, Sam Wesley and Creighton Joyce, whose successful CoLab project was the catalyst for the 707 Hub. Funded by Marquette’s Strategic Innovation Fund, CoLab aimed to create an accessible, wellresourced work space for student innovators of all backgrounds. In collaboration with Kohler Center and Social Innovation staff, the CoLab partners hosted focus groups that determined fellow students crave opportunities for collaboration, regardless of college or major. Informal “pop-ups” outside the Alumni Memorial Union even allowed students and faculty to evaluate furniture choices and share thoughts on space layout options.
