Moving our Innovation and Outreach
Mission Forward

Naomi Boyd
Associate Dean for Innovation, Outreach and Engagement
Finance Chair

The work of our Chambers Innovation and Outreach Centers creates a tangible connection to our land-grant mission. It also leverages our faculty experts in meaningful ways, while providing opportunities for our students to work and learn in an ecosystem of creativity, innovative thinking, and entrepreneurial activity that has the potential to not only change their lives, but also the state and the world around them. 

HEADLINES

Crosno honored as part of Foundation Outstanding Teachers for 2021

Jody L. Crosno, the Joseph E. Antonini Chair and professor in the Department of Marketing, is being recognized for her long-standing exceptional teaching effectiveness and creative, meaningful learning experiences that have lasting impacts on students.

WVU students use skills in cybersecurity exercise with W.Va. National Guard and Polish allies

In mid-April, WVU students across disciplines were given the opportunity to participate in an international, multi-agency cyber competition, Locked Shields. Chambers College Cybersecurity Management students had the opportunity to participate through the leadership of MIS Teaching Assistant Professor Chris Ramezan. 

Aluri to champion entrepreneurship education as part of fifth IDEA Fellows cohort

Associate Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management Ajay Aluri has been selected for the 2021-2023 Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurship Applied Faculty Fellowship, a multi-disciplinary initiative to bolster WVU’s culture of entrepreneurship and innovation. 

Small business owners find big opportunity in first annual Seed WV competition

Entrepreneurial seeds are sprouting in West Virginia as a result of the first annual Seed WV contest, championed by James T. Coffman Fellow of Entrepreneurship Ryan Angus. The first of its kind in the Mountain State, it gave 20 West Virginia residents the opportunity to win $15,000. The prize money was split between three teams to help to move them to market.

Marketing students win big

This semester has been busy for Chambers College Marketing students. From sales competitions to a unique social media challenge, they’ve won big - placing at three different competitions.

2020-‘21 inductees into West Virginia Business Hall of Fame represent WV values

The 2020-‘21 class of the West Virginia Business Hall of Fame honors a group of pioneers and visionaries who have transformed the business landscape of our state and inspire us to move West Virginia Forward.

Investing in the future: West Virginia college students grow into entrepreneurs at 15th annual WV Statewide Business Plan Competition

The 15th annual West Virginia Statewide Collegiate Business Plan Competition left no doubt that West Virginia’s future is bright and brimming with entrepreneurial talent.

Pitch perfect: Morris L. Hayhurst LaunchLab March IDEA Challenge exposes WVU students to entrepreneurial mindsets, idea pitching

Every idea starts with imagination. For seven aspiring WVU collegiate entrepreneurs across four teams, their imagination sparked innovative ideas that led them to participate in the March IDEA Challenge, hosted by the Morris L. Hayhurst LaunchLab.

Creativity abounds at Morris L. Hayhurst LaunchLab’s first annual April Arts Pitch Competition

The April Arts Festival & Pitch Competition gave WVU students the opportunity to showcase the creative and innovative ideas that will change the world for the better.

2020 Value Coin Recipients

The WVU Values Coin program recognizes employees who embody our values and climb higher to answer the call of service. Congratulations to our Chambers College team members who were recently awarded with coins for going above and beyond to support our students, our state and each other. Please note that Elizabeth Tomlinson was inadvertently left off of this list in March.

Elizabeth Tomlinson awarded by Susan Lantz
Nick Apostolou awarded by Mark Nigrini
Ryan Angus awarded by John Saldanha
Annie Cui awarded by Michael Zhao
Jack Dorminey awarded by Brad Price
Dariane Drake awarded by the College
Chris Morlock awarded by Graham Peace
Li Wang awarded by Susan Lantz

2021 Roll of Distinguished Alumni nominations now open

It's that time of year again! Nominate an outstanding business graduate to be inducted into our Roll of Distinguished Alumni. Review the criteria and make a nomination here.

MAY EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Commencement: Sunday, May 16 at 9 a.m.

The Chambers College will be celebrating our graduates safely and in alignment with campus COVID-19 protocols at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium on Sunday, May 16 with the College of Education and Human Services. For more information on this year’s ceremonies, please visit: graduation.wvu.edu/may-commencement or reach out to Amy Roberts-Dixon in the Undergraduate Advising office or Tera Bowden in the Strategic Communications and Events office.

Faculty: Please remind your eligible students that they must register in advance to participate by May 9.

Save the Date: Faculty and Staff Headshots 

Need a new headshot? We’ll be offering photo sessions on Tuesday, Aug. 31 from 9 a.m. to noon in the fourth floor lobby.

Vantage Ventures 

Restructuring the Future of Fashion: May 6 at 7 p.m.

Vantage Ventures is partnering with the Fashion, Dress and Merchandising program in the Davis College and the Royal University of Women (RUW), Kingdom of Bahrain to host a virtual runway presentation. It will showcase innovative student garment designs focused on the exploration of technology, sustainability, and handcraft. Contact Ellie Nesser for more information. You can view the event on YouTube at TINYURL.COM/FUTUREFASHIONWVU.

Vantage Ventures virtual coffee hour: every Tuesday at 10 a.m.

Meet with Vantage Ventures residents, community members and colleagues to share stories and have an informal hour of discussion on any topic of interest. Meeting invites are sent out weekly via our Slack Channel, which can be joined here. Contact Ellie Nesser for more details.

Ask Me Anything

Join us to hear from experts in the fields of finance, accounting, legal, human resources, social media, cybersecurity, and many more areas on our #AskMeAnything Slack channel. Experts for May include:

• Wednesday, May 19: Dr. David Hicks will join us as our new product innovation expert

Please join us on Slack in the Vantage Workspace here from 3-4 p.m. EST. You can send in questions before each session the same day.

Vantage Ventures Real Talk Series

MedTech Panel – Wednesday, May 19 at 3 p.m.

Moderated by Gregory Caprara, Certantum Strategies, our residents, Trevor Moon, Neurowired and Dr. Stephen Valentine, Invibragen, will discuss their vision for the use of sensors, AR/VR and data, to improve health outcomes. Join us for this discussion with our exciting MedTech entrepreneurs on Zoom here.

You can catch up on all of the past Vantage Ventures Real Talks here.

GOOD NEWS AND MEDIA MENTIONS

Department Digest and Awards

The Chambers College team is doing big things, and we want to know about them! Share through this form to see them in a future edition of Let’s Talk Business and/or our other communications vehicles. Want to recognize your colleagues for their accomplishments? Click here.  

Chambers College in the Media

A collection of media links that mention the Chambers College. Please note that some media outlets have pay walls and require a subscription to read the article in its entirety.

Let’s Talk Business is produced by the College’s Office of Strategic Communications. To share a story in a future edition, you may submit a newsletter item here.

Please send feedback or comments to Heather Richardson, Assistant Dean of Communications, Engagement and Impact at hrichard@mail.wvu.edu.