Social Innovation

Social Innovation

Our Social Innovation programs work with local innovators and nonprofits to design strategies to address complex social problems and provide Eller undergraduate students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skill sets in real-world environments.

Mission

Social Innovation, together with local innovators, designs strategies to address complex social problems.

The McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship is uniquely positioned to bring together students, faculty, staff, businesses, nonprofits and community leaders to help prepare our students to become the leaders of tomorrow while making a positive and sustainable impact on our community today.

The goals of the Social Innovation programs are to:

  • Foster civic and social responsibility in young adults
  • Promote active engagement in the community
  • Act as a conduit to facilitate this involvement
  • Provide the resources and tools to the Southern Arizona community so that its civic and social organizations may be more effective

In a city with the sixth highest poverty rate in the nation, and all of the concomitant problems, we—along with other local leaders and experts—are uniquely equipped with the business skills and knowledge required to help solve complex social and economic problems and to develop and retain better future leaders.

Vision

Social Innovation will help make Tucson a better and more sustainable place to live for all.

Through the creation of a minor and a certificate in Social Innovation, students will use business skills to help local social innovation organizations build capacity and sustainability. Social Innovation will also offer opportunities for Eller faculty to offer expert consulting, instruction and scholarship.

In these ways, Eller will become a more active, branded and sustainable partner in achieving positive social impact in Southern Arizona, helping to make our community better and helping our students become more effective future leaders.

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"After learning about Eller Social Innovation my junior year, I made it my goal to graduate with the certificate. For students like myself who are extremely conscientious, this certificate offers a way to connect with the nonprofit community here in Tucson, as well as teach us valuable techniques and knowledge that will help us in our careers, not just in the nonprofit sector, but the public sector also."

Sarah Flaaen '17 BSBA (Business Management)

For additional information, contact: Program Coordinator Jessica Sueskind at sueskindj@email.arizona.edu