Entrepreneurship and Innovation Scholars

First year EIS students will be required to enroll and participate in the Scholars seminar course during the autumn semester. This course is designed to help students with the transition from high school to college, inform new students of the wide array of services and support available at Ohio State, and introduce opportunities and services within the Columbus entrepreneurial and innovation community. EIS students will also be required to attend regular meetings, events, and programming​.

This seminar course is designed for first-year EIS Scholars to explore topics surrounding innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship, as well as their transition to the University. Emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary opportunities and campus and local community resources. All students in this course are incoming first-year EIS students. This course should be taken concurrently with college survey course.

Course Themes:

• ​Innovation
• Creative Problem Solving
• Entrepreneurial Mindset

Course Outcomes: 

• Opportunity Discovery Canvas
• Services and support related to innovation and entrepreneurship available at Ohio State
• Professional development opportunities within the Columbus community
• Relationships with members of the EIS community (students, staff, faculty, community partners, etc.)

Although not a requirement of the EIS program, students will be provided resources and guidance on how to enroll into the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Minor at Ohio State. ​

• The EIS Program, through the seminar and extracurricular programming, managed by the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship, will host a variety of speakers on a regular basis. We will hear from experienced and successful entrepreneurs, leaders in the Fisher College of Business and the College of Engineering, designers from industrial, graphic, and other areas, innovative thinkers, and more. This is also your chance to get involved and help shape the curriculum of EIS – let us know who you would like the chance to get to know and hear from!
• The BOSS Competition is a semester-long startup competition run through the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship. Students can enter with any idea, at any level of development, and the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship staff will work with them to refine their pitch, conduct market research, and determine the feasibility of their idea.
• The EIS Program will offer opportunities for peer mentorship and community engagement. All incoming students are placed with second-year peer mentors and are encourage to participate in activities with them. In addition, EIS students will have the opportunity to participate in Columbus entrepreneurship and innovation events such as Columbus Startup Weekend and GiveBack Hack.
• The EIS Program is committed to remaining open-minded and flexible. One of the concepts of entrepreneurship we teach is to solicit – and give – input and feedback. We encourage you to speak up about what's working, what's not, and what you'd like to see implemented. We will collaborate with other Scholars programs to support their activities and to form relationships with like-minded Scholars in other cohorts. 

• Programs and events will be in place to offer EIS students the opportunity to build relationships within their Scholars cohort, but also with other students in their residence hall.
• Community meetings will be held monthly for EIS students to discuss innovation happening at and around the university, in Ohio, and nation-wide. Other meeting topics will include challenges to wellness in college, issues entrepreneurs face, and general ideation/brainstorming meetings.