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SINE of the Times

SINE symbol

Symposium brings regional faculty and students together to examine social innovation and entrepreneurship

by Tony Moore

The world is big place with a lot of big problems. From climate change to social inequity, overwhelming, seemingly insurmountable issues surround us. Governments and NGOs and private groups are tackling these things daily. But on a smaller scale, where does one begin to address these diverse yet often tangled issues?

For students, Dickinson’s new certificate in social innovation and entrepreneurship (SINE) is a good first step. The SINE certificate program is a focused path that helps students develop the creativity, critical thinking skills and leadership abilities to bring about positive change.

Social innovation and entrepreneurship form a one-two punch that leads to the creation of products or services that address social or environmental needs—with both social concerns and profit in mind. And this Saturday, SINE—along with Central Pennsylvania Consortium partners Franklin & Marshall and Gettysburg colleges—is hosting the CPC Symposium on Social Entrepreneurship, an event aimed at enabling students to build collaboration, networking and pitching skills.

“This symposium—and on a larger scale the SINE certificate program—will provide students with practical and conceptual tools for bringing about change and addressing some of our most urgent and crucial social and environmental issues,” says Helen Takacs, chair of the SINE program and associate professor of international business & management, who notes that there will be a lot for faculty members to take from the event as well. “Faculty who attend the symposium will have the opportunity to learn how these ideas can be incorporated into a wide variety of academic fields.”

The symposium will be marked by student and faculty workshops, discussions with alumni from all three participating colleges and the pitch sessions, through which teams will brainstorm a solution to a social or environmental challenge. The short pitches will be voted on by attendees, and the winning team will win $250. The runner-up takes home $150.

The event will be held Saturday, Feb. 25, from noon to 4 p.m. It’s free to attend, but registration is strongly encouraged (and easy: send a quick email to sine@dickinson.edu).

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Published February 21, 2017

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