Dr. Christoph Winkler, endowed professor and founding program director of the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, was chosen as one of 18 educators from around the world as a candidate in the Faculty Innovation Fellows Program at Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school).  

Candidates will meet frequently in small groups to share opportunities for change they identify as in addition to ideas for projects that can have the most impact for students at their schools. They will also collaborate to learn new student strategies, develop projects, gather feedback on ideas and share resources.  

Each candidate will have the opportunity to publish an article in the University Innovation Fellows journal, Change Forward, detailing their project and progress. For those who complete the program, they will be launched as Faculty Innovation Fellows in March 2024.  

Additionally, participants in the Faculty Innovation Fellows are the mentors  of students involved in the University Innovation Fellows program, which empowers students and faculty leaders to increase campus engagement with innovation, entrepreneurships, creativity and design thinking. Iona students have participated in the program  since 2018.  

The program is a two-year experience with faculty and staff working to design unique projects that help improve innovative ecosystems at their schools and help students gain vital real-world skills and mindsets. In the meantime, Dr. Winkler will present and share updates about his project during a summit this month at Stanford University.  

Dr. Winkler’s project will be built from the success of student partnerships with the Business Council of Westchester, the City of Mount Vernon, the City of Yonkers and other community partners. He plans to expand the work of students with community engagement and partnerships by developing a novel approach to experiential learning at Iona. He hopes that through engaging students and faculty in creative problem solving by the Hynes Institute, this work will positively impact local communities and businesses.