Dr.

Robert Gailey
~~For Private Use Only~~
No Unauthorized Distribution of Publication without permission of the author

Collaborations across Campus and across Town: Preparing College Students to Engage in
Social Innovation Careers

Robert Gailey, Ph.D.

Point Loma Nazarene University

Paper to be presented at
International Social Innovation Research Conference 2010:
Partnerships, Hybrids and Networks
Säid Business School, University of Oxford
13-15 September, 2010

1
Abstract

Collaboration, especially at the university level, is not easy. It requires good planning, proper

execution, and careful follow-up. It also requires significant resources—in time and money—to

be successful and, perhaps more importantly, useful to students in their career development. This

paper explores some of the challenges, benefits, and opportunities of collaborations, across

campus and across town, which have helped to nurture student interest in careers in the social

innovation sector. Two case-study–like examples are described. The first example is an intra-

university, inter-disciplinary course collaboration. The second example describes an inter-

university, multi-sectoral partnership among educators and practitioners in the microfinance

sector in San Diego, California, USA. The conclusion offers four short, biographical samples of

students involved in the social innovation sector who have participated in at least one of the

described case study examples.

Introduction

We live in an age of abundant information and rapid intellectual dissemination. Consumer

choices and tastes are increasingly driven by specific interests and particular demands. This has

led many jobs, indeed whole careers, to become more specialized. Educational institutions have

mirrored this specialization (Clark, 1987). In response to this increase in demand for

professionals with specific skills and knowledge, some academic disciplines are drifting further

toward a silo mentality (Kezar, 2005). Academics in these fields believe that in order to ensure

their graduates remain competitive in the global marketplace, their programs must dominate

students’ lives in terms of discipline-specific required courses. Often this weighting of

discipline-specific courses comes at the expense of offering a broader scope of courses to fulfill

degree requirements or allowing an eclectic breadth of electives. While there are signs that more

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universities and academic programs appreciate the value of an inter-disciplinary, broad liberal

arts education, there are many schools that still hold firm to course requirements that are

discipline-specific, especially at the upper division level (Deutsch, 2007).

This uni-discipline focus has consequences at the macro level. Within the competitive

nature of higher education—both in terms of student recruitment and, more importantly,

acquiring coveted research dollars—little incentive exists to encourage faculty members to

explore opportunities for collaboration and partnerships across disciplines in one university, let

alone partner with other, similar universities. There are faculty who believe the competitive

nature permeating much of today’s higher education is an important nurturing mechanism to help

students develop the skills necessary to jump into a career in the for-profit world of corporate

finance or marketing. Such a drift toward specialization, however, does not bode well for

students interested in careers in the social innovation sector, a sector that requires a diverse set of

skills and knowledge to succeed.

The 21st century has ushered in an increasingly sophisticated, dynamic, and complex

global society. Many citizens, particularly those in the younger generation, are interested in

tackling historically stubborn social problems with renewed vigor and creativity. While the lines

between nonprofit and for-profit functions continue to blur, it is clear that a multi-disciplinary

approach to problems is not only necessary but extremely fruitful.

This paper first explores sound principles and proposed benefits for helpful

collaborations found in the literature. The paper then focuses on two cases of collaboration—one

intra-university and one inter-university—in which the author has been involved during his

teaching tenure. Based on verbal feedback from students and alumni, some of which is featured

in this paper, these collaborations appear to have had a positive influence on the career

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development of students graduating from the author’s university (a private Christian, liberal arts

university in San Diego, California), as well as on students at other local universities.

What is Collaboration in the Social Innovation Sector?

In their often-cited paper on collaboration, Powell, Koput, and Smith-Doerr (1996) argue that in

complex, diverse, and expanding industries, networks of learning are more conducive to

generating innovation than individual organizations are. While these authors focused their

research and analysis on the rapid changes in the technological and for-profit sectors, an

argument can be made that today’s social innovation sector mirrors much of what was happening

in the technology sector 15 years ago. The number of conferences, journal articles, new

organizational structures, and emerging funding mechanisms indicate that a sea change of rapid

innovation is taking place in the social entrepreneurship sector throughout the world. It is also

clear that this sector is gaining increased media and public policy attention. Nambisan (2009)

suggests that networks and collaborations offer a “wider range of ideas, better use of resources,

and faster solutions than do traditional, monolithic entities” (p. 46).

One of the best examples of educational collaboration in the social innovation sector is

the collaboration between Stanford University and Harvard University. This inter-university

collaboration, described in detail by Gordon Bloom in Nicholls (2006), is called the Social

Entrepreneurship Collaboratory (SE Lab). The SE Lab leverages the reputation and resources of

each university to facilitate intellectual creativity in launching new social enterprises. Bloom

describes how the SE Lab “provides students with an opportunity to discover and focus their

intelligence, energy, and passion on identifying and confronting social problems of their choice;

provides them with curriculum that integrates theory and practice; introduces them to a broad set

of resources supportive of social entrepreneurship within and outside the university; and invites

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them to co-create a collaborative environment that mentors them in designing and developing

solutions and the social change organizations to implement them” (p. 273). The SE Lab

facilitates a multiplier effect on both research and practice. For instance, Jones, Wuchty, and

Uzzi (2008) found that collaboration among Tier 1 academic universities not only increases the

volume of research, but that such collaborations lead to a greater number of citations, one sign of

intellectual innovation, than what occurs in intra-university and solo publications. Their research,

in fact, indicates that collaboration between Tier 1 universities and lower-level schools are of

great benefit to the lower-tier universities in terms of scholarship dissemination.

What Are Some Principles for Good Collaboration in the Social Innovation Sector?

Elliot Maxwell (2010) recently declared, “Collaboration is not new to colleges and universities—

it is in their DNA” (p. 159). While it is true that collaboration is foundational to the academy,

market pressures and technological transformations related to how people learn and acquire

information are impacting collegiality in ways that suggest some disciplines will struggle with

these changes more than others. Consider some of the sciences. As more research schools partner

with commercial interests to develop medical or biological patents, researchers will have less

time and energy (indeed permission) to devote to cross-university research partnerships. One

sector that has proven well adapted to encouraging collaboration, however, is the social

innovation sector. No doubt this is due, in part, to the multi-disciplinary nature of this growing

field. Already there are at least two examples of established academic research networks: The

Social Enterprise Knowledge Network (SEKN) and the EMES group in Europe (Nicholls, 2006,

p. 8).

While there are good collaborations already taking place in the social innovation sector,

Anderson and Dees (2006) argue that the social entrepreneurship field must embrace researchers

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from various perspectives and disciplines: “The mix should reflect the diversity of social issues,

the range of strategies for social change, the various organizational structures that could be used,

and the multiple stakeholders involved” (p. 158). The authors advocate an expansion of

management research by pairing business faculty with researchers in the social sectors.

Another important strategy for establishing collaboration in the social innovation sector,

particularly among educational institutions, is to wed theory to practical applications. As noted,

Gordon Bloom (2006) outlines the work at both Stanford and Harvard related to student

organizations and conferences and how these events and activities help connect students to

practical applications of the theories they are learning at the university. As students engage in

experiential learning of theoretical ideas, they develop skills that are relevant to organizations

operating in the real world of, say, poverty alleviation or environmental protection.

Which Factors Make Collaborations Succeed?

Collaborations geared toward knowledge creation can take on various forms. Examples include

partnerships between universities and nonprofits (Cohen, Phillips, Chierchio, 2001), between

corporations and nonprofits (Dahan, et. al. 2010), between corporations and universities (Godin

and Gingras, 2000; Dunowski, Schultz, et al., 2010), and among research universities (Nicholls,

2006; Cummings and Kiesler, 2007; Jones, et al., 2008). Yet, some authors suggest, more than

fifty percent of collaborations fail (Kezar, 2005). What, then, makes a collaboration likely to

succeed?

Kezar (2005) outlines three steps for successful collaboration: First, build commitment:

through external pressure, establishing values, fostering learning and establishing networks.

Second, commit: There must be a sense of priority, firming up a mission, and building networks.

Third, sustain: through integrating structures, offering rewards, and continuing to expand

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networks. Bloom (2006) outlines what he believes made the SE Lab collaboration successful at

Stanford: “[T]ap into people’s passions, fieldwork, action research, peer support and learning,

and the participation of domain experts and social entrepreneurship practitioners with

foundational frameworks” (p. 299).

Collaboration is important because social innovation is truly about transforming

society—a group of people, not just individuals. As Thekaekara and Thekaekara (2010) note:

[S]ocial entrepreneurship cannot be about the individual — it is about the outcome of

communities or groups of marginalized people. Entrepreneurial characteristics in an
individual who works in the social sector can be termed social entrepreneurship only
when this has led to bringing about a lasting change in society — a change with clearly
perceivable social value. (p. 10)

For this author, and in relation to the title of this paper, one important measure of success

regarding collaboration is how many students are influenced to consider careers in the social

innovation sector as a result of collaboration. Collaborations can link students to a greater

perspective of what is possible. Exposure to different fields of research and different programs

offer students an opportunity to be challenged with a variety of viewpoints and perspectives

while building connections to a cadre of good people who can serve as a support network for

future endeavors. Again, the tie-back is to social relationships, and the value those relationships

hold in the present and may hold in the future.

Additional Influences on Student Career Interests

The next section details two examples from the author’s university that have, according to

students’ responses, helped shape student interest in social innovation careers. Of course, there

are other important activities and events happening at the university that play a role in

influencing student career interest in the social innovation sector. It is important to briefly

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mention these before presenting the detailed examples so readers can better understand the

broader context.

For one, the university has a long history in encouraging and facilitating student

involvement in study abroad programs. For its size, the university is nationally ranked in the top

10 for having students participate in study abroad programs. In addition, there is a student

microfinance club that is very active in the community. Each semester, the club hosts Kiva

lending nights to allow students to participate in lending money to borrowers around the world.

For the past two years, the student club has hosted a $2 Challenge, encouraging students to sign

up to live on less than $2 a day for several days, sleeping outside and limiting their use of water

and electricity. While students attempt to get a small “taste” of what living in poverty is like,

they also raise money for microfinance initiatives around the world. In 2010, the students raised

money to help rebuild the microfinance efforts in earthquake-damaged Haiti.

The university also hosts summer service trips for students. Each year, roughly 6 to 7

percent of the student body travels on trips to one of 8 to 10 different countries. Most of the

countries visited are countries where a significant portion of the population lives in economic

poverty. For three weeks, the groups perform various activities in the local community, often

under the direction of local leaders. Many students indicate that these trips are transformational

in their lives and career choices. In addition, the university supports an international

development studies major and minor as well as a nonprofit minor, all under the school of

business. The school also supports a Center for International Development, which provides

student and faculty scholarships to participate in social innovation conferences and helps

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facilitate student internships and job opportunities related to careers in the social innovation

sector. 1

Numerous factors work together to shape college students’ lives in terms of what careers

they choose to pursue. Arnett (2004) argues that emerging adulthood is a time when many young

people solidify a worldview that will impact the kind of person they become as adults. In many

cases, a continuum, or series, of events engage students in ways that shape them into people

lured by the potential of how the social innovation sector can radically transform the lives of

poor people around the world. While the examples that follow focus on collaboration, it is

important to recognize that the factors mentioned in this section both contribute to and are

influenced by the examples below in terms of encouraging student career interest in the social

innovation sector.

The two case studies below briefly touch on key highlights of the collaborations. The

headlines under each case study offer guidance on what the narrative is describing. The first

section highlights a key principle of collaboration that the example represents and indicates how

the principle applies to nurturing student interest in social innovation careers. The two sections

that follow highlight challenges and benefits of the collaboration that students have reported via

evaluations and communication with the professor. The second case study includes a section on

results, which highlights direct actions taken by students in response to their engagement in the

collaboration.

Case Study #1

The Principle of Collaboration Fostering Student Career Interest in Social Innovation

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A few of the conferences faculty and students have attended include Skoll World Forums, Clinton Global Initiative
University, Global Microcredit Summit Campaign, Social Venture Capital/Social Enterprise Conference in Miami,
and Harvard’s Social Enterprise Conference.

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Cross-discipline knowledge. Students gain a greater appreciation for the different frameworks in

which to view the world and solutions to perplexing problems.

Description

One of the courses the author teaches each spring semester is called Theories of Economic

Development. It is an upper-division economics course. Approximately 25 to 30 students take

the class each year. Most are students in the school of business, where at least one course in

upper-division economics is required for all graduates. Roughly half of the students in the class

are international development studies (IDS) majors or IDS minors and are taking the course

because of their interest in learning more about poverty alleviation efforts from an economic

standpoint. Members of the other half of the class admit freely at the beginning of the semester

that they are taking the course primarily because it fulfills an upper-division requirement and

works well with their schedules.

Every other year, the author, who teaches in the school of business, collaborates with a

colleague in the sociology and social work department who is trained as an anthropologist. In

alternating years, the anthropologist teaches a spring semester entitled Globalization and Culture.

His course considers the impact of global economic forces from the perspective of the people

who are impacted the most from these forces. His interest is in listening to their voices and

considering their experiences in light of the global forces at work and how these forces impact

the lives of the most vulnerable people.

Both professors teach their regular course content throughout the semester, occasionally

sitting in on each other’s classes and/or guest lecturing to the other class. The collaboration

comes through designing a group course project, worth 30 percent of each course’s grade, as a

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key feature in both classes. The professors select a specific course project in which every student

in both classes must participate. 2

The students are divided into small groups to work on sections of the project. Each small

group has students from each class. Students are asked to list their top three choices for groups

and are assigned, as much as possible, to one of their preferred groups. Usually every semester of

the collaboration at least one student takes both courses. She/he is assigned one group but given

a “double portion” of the workload to be graded by her/his peers accordingly. The overarching

topic is divided into six or seven smaller pieces and each small group is given one piece to

research and present on to the wider class. Students meet throughout the semester to work on

their group projects. At the end of the semester, weekly class time is canceled in exchange for

requiring all students to attend a combined class meeting on Saturday, where the groups do their

presentations to the other groups in the class.

In 2006, the first time this collaboration was done, the focus of the group project was to

consider a fair trade initiative that would involve the campus selling common-use products in the

United States that were made in other countries by people earning a fair wage. The business idea

revolved around students from the university’s summer service trips (described in an earlier

section) bringing back items from the countries they visited that would then be sold in the United

States. The class project involved the initial research for this idea. The seven small groups were

divided into these topics of research and presentation:

- Scope of poverty — San Diego, South Africa, Kenya, Armenia, Brazil, Philippines

- Profiles of for-profit businesses that market “international products”

- Profiles of nonprofits that market “international products”

2
One year the university’s center for teaching and learning selected this cross-course collaboration as an example to
be shared with other faculty across campus during a faculty enrichment seminar.

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 - Import/export laws/regulations, practices

- Fair trade products: opportunities and challenges

- The strengths and weakness of cooperatives (craft, agricultural, financial) with a

particular focus on our target world areas

- Socially responsible business practices

In 2008, the second year of the collaboration, the focus of the group project was on important

“global poverty issues,” and the students were required to develop and implement a creative

awareness campaign on campus that would educate their peers about specific issues. The topics

the small groups researched and presented on were the following:

- We Are What We Eat: Global hunger, local food insecurity and the globalization of the

food supply

- “New World Water”: Lack of access to clean drinking water and sanitation

- Maquilopolis: Global inequalities of labor and labor markets

- Planet of Slums: Urbanization and the global growth of informal settlements

- Pathologies of Power: The unequal distribution of global health care to those who can

pay for it

- Free the Slaves: Human trafficking (the contemporary global slave trade)

In 2010, the third year of the collaboration, the entire group project was focused on human

trafficking, a growing concern among the students on the university campus. The small groups

focused their research and presentation on one of the following topics/organizations and their

engagement in responding to human trafficking:

- Legislation and Enforcement

- The Church

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 - The Victims

- The Media/Arts

- Case Study: San Diego/Tijuana

- Educational Institutions

- Non-Profits

Challenges

In general, student groups do well working across disciplines. There are challenges, however,

that the cross-course collaboration encounters. One complaint students repeat is that getting

together with students in other classes is extremely difficult because schedules often clash. Some

students get frustrated with the “perspective” of the students in the “other” class and/or the

perspective that the “other” professor brings to the course material in terms of feedback/input

about the project. Depending on the year’s overarching topic and the student’s particular topic

and group dynamic, a few students complain that the topic is not relevant to the course materials.

Benefits

Several students expressed their appreciation for gaining different perspectives from students in

other majors. Students appreciated learning together on a specific topic and approaching that

topic from unique and discipline-specific angles. While some students struggled with

collaborating across courses, even some who complained about the differences appreciated and

respected the cross-discipline interaction. Group work is always challenging, but working

through those challenges to successfully complete research, analysis, and public presentation on

an important topic can be rewarding and, in the process, students gain useful skills and

knowledge.

Case Study #2

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The Principle of Collaboration Fostering Student Career Interest in Social Innovation

Interaction between practitioners and academics

Opportunities for putting theory into practice

Building a network, sharing resources

Description

In late 2008, key microfinance practitioners in San Diego met with interested university faculty

and students from local universities to discuss the possibility of co-hosting a city-wide summit

on microfinance. All who attended were keenly interested in collaborating on such a venture.

Group members pledged to meet on a regular basis and offered their respective organizational

resources to plan a conference. From that initial meeting emerged the San Diego Microfinance

Alliance (SDMFA). SDMFA membership now includes four of the largest universities in San

Diego as well as several local microfinance practitioners operating in San Diego, northern

Mexico, and around the world. The Alliance is strong and growing. Two annual summits have

been held on a local university campus each spring semester, with more than 200 in attendance at

each event. Participants include interested community members, faculty, staff, and students of

local universities, and staff and even clients of local microfinance institutions.

The food that is provided to summit participants for both a breakfast snack and main

lunch is provided by microfinance clients, who are paid for their services. Both years have

featured a video showing clients at their places of business. A plenary session during the first

summit featured microfinance clients on a plenary panel. Each year, a space is dedicated for

microfinance clients to sell their wares to summit participants and students walking across

campus.

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 The summit also features a keynote speaker, plenary panels, networking times, and, last

year, breakout sessions for participants. Tables are provided for local organizations to share their

information and recruit volunteers and donors to their causes. Costs for the summit are kept low

so that students can afford to attend. The organizations and educational institutions affiliated

with the Alliance all donate significant time and energy, even financial resources, to make the

event more affordable for participants.

In the first summit, the two smaller universities in San Diego, including the author’s,

were the primary drivers of the educational participation for the event. In the second year,

however, the two largest state universities in San Diego joined the Alliance in a significant way.

Now, all four universities actively participate in both the planning of events and in engaging

students in the activities.

In addition to the annual summit, the Alliance has hosted other city-wide collaborative

activities. In fall 2009, the Alliance, in response to requests made by students and community

leaders who attended the summit, hosted a Microfinance 101 course. This course took place one

night a week for four weeks. The course was an introduction to key principles and practices in

microfinance. Roughly 40 people attended the inaugural course. A nominal fee was charged to

all participants to ensure commitment to attend four weeks of the course. The course was

populated by a mix of students and community members, with a little more than half being

students from at least three local universities. The first two nights of the class were taught by

professors at two of the local universities. The third night was taught by a staff leader from a

local microfinance organization. All teachers donated their time to teach the class and support

this effort. Clients of a local microfinance organization were invited to share their stories during

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the last night of the course. For many participants, hearing the stories of clients and their

business success was a highlight of the course for them.

The MF101 course is scheduled to be repeated in fall 2010. The Alliance hopes to offer a

MF102 course in the spring semester to all participants who completed the MF101 course either

last year or this year. The MF102 course will go deeper into an analysis of microfinance

programs, debates, and current research.

Members of the Alliance also maintain a website for the community3. The website

features recent microfinance news, upcoming local events, job and internship openings, and the

businesses of local microfinance clients. The Alliance also hosts events, like that held for

Oikocredit 4 this past summer, that introduce the San Diego community to international

microfinance organizations.

The SDMFA remains informal in its approach to collaboration. The Alliance has forgone

registering as a formal nonprofit organization. There are no budgets or paid staff. Different

people or organizations have taken the lead on specific events and activities. The alliance

members have emphasized that they want the Alliance activities to continue to focus on what

benefits and supports San Diego microfinance activities and, particularly, what benefits clients

the most. While informal, the Alliance appreciates and has learned from more formalized

collaborations in other cities, such as SEAMO in Seattle, 5 the Silicon Valley Microfinance

Network, 6 and the annual Chicago Microfinance Conference. 7

3
http://sdmicrofinance.org/
4
http://www.oikocredit.org/en/home
5
http://www.seattlemicrofinance.org/
6
http://svmn.net/page/2/
7
http://www.chicagomicrofinance.com/

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Challenges

While the Alliance has been built on the various contributions of its members, concerns remain

about the financial viability of the partnership and, in particular, about how to best price each

individual event. Without an institutional framework that allows for fundraising and full-time

staff hiring, questions remain about the partnership’s longevity. In particular, concerns have been

voiced regarding institutional commitments should individual participants leave the Alliance due

to job changes or lack of interest. Related to this concern over the Alliance’s financial viability is

the question of how best to price individual events so that each event comes as close as possible

to covering its costs while remaining affordable to both college students and community

members. Some have wondered whether or not services provided by the Alliance to clients of

local microfinance institutions ever will be sustainable.

A possible future challenge the Alliance might face, particularly if it remains informal, is

if one or two of the organizations or educational institutions comes to dominate the

organization’s agenda. Equally concerning is if one or two of the organizations/institutions is left

to carry the load for the Alliance without sufficient support from the other members. Thankfully

neither scenario currently exists. However, such a possibility remains and participants must be

careful to guard against either scenario.

Benefits

While many participating organizations in the Alliance recognize numerous benefits to their

respective organizations, this section focuses on the perceived benefits to students and their

career development opportunities in the social innovation sector. Students benefit from the

Alliance by having a significant amount of important resources in one location. Students who

participate in an Alliance-sponsored event gain access to several local microfinance

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organizations and four major universities at the same time. Leaders and professors from these

organizations, as well as student leaders and other staff members, are engaged and available to

talk to students about research, careers, internships, and jobs in the microfinance/social

entrepreneurship sector. Cross-town university exchanges are frequent between students,

between faculty, and between students and faculty.

For students, the networking potential is great at Alliance-sponsored events. Students

from across San Diego who are interested in or passionate about solving poverty through

sustainable business opportunities can gather together and learn from and challenge each other.

In addition, students gain access to significant academic and practitioner resources through the

leaders of the Alliance. And, generally-speaking, these leaders welcome the opportunity to

nurture opportunities and insights in a younger generation.

Results

In a short amount of time, the Alliance has facilitated significant cross-town collaboration to

benefit student interest in social innovation careers. One of the university’s microfinance clubs

helped mentor and launch a microfinance club at another university. This fall, a third university

applied to their campus for approval to launch a microfinance-type club for staff, faculty, and

students. The staff member at the university who is leading this application process attributes her

interest in starting the club to her participation in the summit and MF101 course. These clubs

offer students a vehicle by which they can gain access to university resources as well as develop

a network of similarly minded students during a very formative time in their lives.

The service-learning office at one of the universities in the Alliance received a state grant

to engage in microfinance efforts. The office sent some of its staff members to the MF101 course

and, since that time, they have participated in and supported the summit in very significant ways.

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For instance, the university and its service-learning office leveraged the Alliance’s cross-town

collaboration to partner with a local microfinance organization to implement a small lending

program using funds from a state grant. A number of students have been able to observe client

meetings in action because loans financed by the university’s grant were funneled through a local

microfinance practitioner.

Probably the most significant “result” of Alliance collaborations, however, is the

influence these events have had on students. For instance, a number of student participants in the

summits have stated, in their post-summit evaluations, that attending a summit was eye-opening

and, for some, a highlight of their academic year. For others, a summit represents the first time a

student has been exposed to the idea that poverty alleviation and sound business principles and

practices can go together. Many business majors reflect on their summit attendance and are

grateful for how the experience opened their minds to the real possibility that they could use their

degrees and still pursue careers in the nonprofit and social innovation sectors. The next section

highlights four particular students who were significantly influenced by the intra-university

and/or inter-university collaborations. Their stories represent what is hoped for in all students—

that through exposure to the issues and ideas intentionally highlighted in these collaborations,

transformation takes place in a student’s life, which, in turn, impacts her or his career projection.

Meet the Students (all alumni of Point Loma Nazarene University)

While the above examples provide details and analysis of collaborations across campus and

across town that have helped facilitate student interest in social innovation careers, the author

believes it is useful to conclude this paper with some examples of particular students from his

own school who have gone into or are preparing to enter social innovation–sector careers. These

brief biographies focus on each student’s experiences with the examples of collaboration

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described above, each student’s current career path, and a direct quotation from each student on

how the collaborations have impacted his or her career path.

Kaley – 2010 graduate, media communications major

- Participated in the Globalization and Culture class the year the combined courses project

focused on human trafficking

- Involved in Alliance summit - first year, helped make a video of client businesses that

were featured in the plenary client panel

- Involved in Alliance summit - second year, engaged in an honors project that culminated

in a 20-minute video production of the Alliance, which premiered at the summit

- Seeks to raise awareness about social injustice in the world through the medium of film.

Her independent production group, Your Platform Media, is centered around the mission

to enlighten, empower, and enact.

- Most recently, she has signed up with Americorps as the Youth Food Justice Coordinator

with the International Rescue Committee in San Diego (one of the lead collaborators of

the Alliance)

- “In working on collaborative projects with peers and professors, I learned the

power of community and the importance of diversity in academic settings. I’ve been

inspired by the way community elicits creativity through collaboration, drawing

from multiple resources to achieve a common purpose. It has inspired me to be a

part of the evolving stories of community and creativity throughout San Diego.”

Travis – Fall 2008 graduate, business administration major

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 - Participated in ECO315 - Theories of Economic Development class the year the

combined courses project focused on global poverty issues. His team focused on the

scarcity of water.

- Co-founded PLNU’s nationally recognized Microfinance Club – served as club President

for 18 months 8

- Volunteered at first Alliance Summit

- Selected as PLNU business administration student of the year

- Currently loan assistant for CDC Small Business Finance 9

- 2009 - took over organizational leadership of SDMFA – managed the Alliance, oversaw

the summit and MF101 course

- Co-founded PLNU Alumni in Microfinance – to help more current students engage in the

world of microfinance

- “This past year has been a huge year of growth for me and my eyes have been

opened to so much, from the incredible amounts of oppression occurring in the

world today, to creative ventures that contribute to poverty relief. Our economic

development class, as well as many of the resources, . . . have been a huge part of

that.”

Corbyn – 2008 graduate, business administration major

- Participated in ECO315 - Theories of Economic Development class the year the

combined courses project focused on global poverty issues. His team focused on the

scarcity of water.

8
During his tenure as President, Grameen America in New York City contacted the club for advice on setting up
relationships with university campuses and Kiva featured the club in their international Campus Kiva Starter Kit:
http://media.kiva.org/campus_kiva_starter_kit.pdf
9
http://www.cdcloans.com/index.shtml

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 - Past 18 months has served as outreach coordinator for Plant with Purpose, 10 an

environmentally focused nonprofit that also does microfinance work. Plant with Purpose

recently was featured in a New York Times article about agricultural success in post-

earthquake Haiti. 11

- Managed information booth at last summit and helped with organizing the event

- Co-founded PLNU Alumni in Microfinance – to help more current students engage in the

world of microfinance

- “Theories of Economic Development class opened my eyes to opportunities in the

nonprofit world that have really changed the direction of my young professional

career.”

Blake – 2007 graduate, business administration major

- Managed information booth at last summit

- Participated in ECO315 – Theories of Economic Development (though not in a year of

collaboration) and did one of the best research papers/presentations this professor has

seen on international agriculture/trade policies

- After graduation, worked with Opportunity International, a leading global microfinance

network, as the liaison to the President’s Council

- When Opportunity International’s CEO left the organization to start EduLeap, he asked

Blake to co-found the organization with him.

- Currently serves as director of operations for EduLeap, which provides micro-enterprise

loans to entrepreneurs in developing countries who manage low-cost private schools. 12

10
http://www.plantwithpurpose.org/
11
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/07/12/12greenwire-devastated-haiti-braces-for-an-active-hurrican-
11849.html?pagewanted=1
12
http://eduleap.org/Home.html

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 - Co-founded PLNU Alumni in Microfinance – to help more current students engage in the

world of microfinance

- “Theories of Economic Development helped me understand the historical context of

previous anti-poverty interventions and was critical in nurturing my interest in

microfinance and, specifically, in using microfinance in an innovative way to

facilitate education in the developing world.”

Conclusion

Collaborations can be fun and generate a lot of energy. They also can be challenging and require

a lot of effort. Intra-university collaborations broaden perspectives and expose students to the

value of taking a multi-disciplinary approach to learning about global problems and searching for

viable solutions to address those problems. Inter-university collaborations, particularly those

centered on a specific field in the social innovation sector such as microfinance, spawn important

cross-town relationships at numerous levels (faculty, staff, and students). These kinds of

collaborations are best leveraged by engaged students who take advantage of such opportunities

to expand their networks, grow their intellectual horizons, and utilize experts in the practitioner

world to fine-tune their understanding of what may work in tackling the world’s most

challenging problems. It is an honor for me to be affiliated with these types of collaborations

here in San Diego and a pure joy to see dedicated students build on these connections to launch

important careers in the social innovation sector. I write this paper to honor their work and to

encourage them to continue to pursue such endeavors in a spirit of wonder and humility.

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