The Staff Senate met Wednesday morning to discuss the Innovation Campus.

Two guest speakers joined the meeting to speak on strategies and practicalities of pursuing an Innovation Campus.

Bruce Schulte, executive director of the WKU Research Foundation, discussed what the idea of an Innovation Campus is and the strategic plan to build one.

“An Innovation Campus for our particular university is tailored to the needs of the community and the university itself, and it’s a two-way street,” Schulte said.

The plan consists of three major parts: WKU students, the hill and community.

Schulte said that one of the goals is to transform the WKU Center for Research and Development into an Innovation Campus that will promote local business, provide a hub for entrepreneurial growth, and engage corporations in collaborative research.

Jeff Hook, director of the Center for Research and Development, also spoke on the matter. 

“We have found opportunities for our WKU students to be engaged with that company and gain experience from that,” Hook said. 

“When they graduate they now don’t have to leave the region necessarily [because] they’ve got a good opportunity with a knowledge-based company,” Hook said. 

Schulte said the role of Innovation Campus is to “provide opportunities for students, partner with regional businesses and enhance the development of intellectual property.”

Henri Aboah can be reached at [email protected].