The SIFP will strengthen innovation abilities – agility, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, creativity, and leadership – through the application of innovation competencies – design thinking, project management, business analytics, business strategy, and market research.
The Student Industry Fellows Program (SIFP) is a signature Innovation District initiative housed within the Office of University Experiential Learning. The Program seeks to identify top undergraduate and graduate talent at the University of Georgia and prepare them for leadership roles in industry, government and community entities.
Grounded in the practice of human-centered design, SIFP is an Executive Development Program built upon three primary pillars:
- Multi-Disciplinary Project-Based Learning
- Fellows complete two real-world projects each semester on multi-disciplinary teams of top talent
- Projects are sourced from industry, government, and community agencies.
- Formal & Personalized Executive Development
- Fellows engage in a personalized Executive Development Plan developed in industry and aligned to formal assessments like DiSC
- Fellows participated in personalized and formal Performance Evaluations each semester that emphasize development in Leadership, Interpersonal Skills and Management Style
- Career Advancement Opportunities
- Fellows receive access to Innovation District events, thought leaders, and opportunities
- Fellows receive partial or fully funded access to external trainings, conferences, internships, and innovation programs
The Program consists of two immersive and experiential courses including:
- IDEA 4000/6000: Innovation Catalyst and Design -This course exposes students of any background, interest, and passion to the practice of innovation, grounded in human-centered design. Drawing from interdisciplinary methods and tools from fields like design, engineering, the arts, social sciences, and business, this course is designed to immerse students into the concepts of cross-disciplinary, team-based project work as well as enhance core skills required to implement innovation and problem-solving. The course places a heavy emphasis on consultative approaches and experiential learning through site visits, case studies, or practitioner interactions.
- IDEA 4020/6020: Industry Student Fellows Projects – This course places students into interdisciplinary teams to collaborate with faculty on real-world, client projects serviced through the Student Industry Fellows Program. Students will conduct and provide research, build a product prototype, engage in early state development, be responsive in communication, and ultimately present the project to the client.
2024 Visiting Instructors
Dr. Donald Chambers, Lecturer and Associate Director, Entrepreneurship Program and SIFP Co-Instructor
Don serves as the Associate Director of Entrepreneurship at the University of Georgia where he teaches classes on entrepreneurship and design thinking while supporting and coaching student’s innovation ideas. A former industry executive with CFO and COO roles in several firms, he brings thirty years of broad accounting, finance and operations experience to the Student Industry Fellows Program including significant exposure to at least a dozen industries including startups and small to medium enterprises . During his career, Don has been responsible for client collaboration with major international and domestic firms such as Invacare, Caterpillar, Sprint PCS, United Rentals and Cummins Power Group and recently was part of a working group designing a renewable energy project with a large MNC. Don earned his Doctorate from Case Western Reserve University with his dissertation covering cultural impacts on entrepreneurial orientation. He also has a MBA from the University of Georgia and BBA in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
