Before it became known as The Center for Innovation at Xavier University, it started as an innovation lab, an experiment in a new way of working together on issues facing the institution. Through continued investment and training, the university began to see results, and today the Center for Innovation carries with it a reputation of creativity in problem-solving and a model for other institutions to study. From the website:
“The Xavier Center for Innovation … is a place where students, faculty, local business partners and sponsors, entrepreneurs, community leaders and organizers can come together to find meaningfully unique and innovative solutions to today’s complex problems.”
Today on Navigating Change, Provost and Chief Academic Officer Scott Chadwick joins us to share the story of the Center for Innovation at Xavier, some of its recent successes, and his journey to understand Xavier by assessing the people, mission, and capabilities of the university as they continue to grow leaders through innovation, creativity, and inclusivity.
Links & Notes
About Scott Chadwick
Scott Chadwick’s work as Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Xavier University in Cincinnati is driven by his passion for creating systems that help students learn and develop into exceptional people. His zeal for systems thinking was formed early in his career through his consulting and financial systems work with Arthur Andersen Consulting, Firestone, and Sprint. Educated at state flagship schools, having taught at land grant universities, and having worked as an administrator at three private, Jesuit universities, Scott has a view of higher education that spans the categories often used to describe it. At Xavier, he designed and implemented the Center for Innovation, championed the creation of the School of Arts and Innovation, and guided the university’s innovation strategy that has led to hundreds of faculty, staff, and students learning innovation techniques within and across their disciplines.
