Many universities look to support their missions by establishing cultures of making on their campuses. They recognize their responsibility to help students to both think, and do.
By creating a makerspace, these universities hope to address student demand for access to tools and machinery; to attract talented prospective students; and to complement design, innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives on campus.
Many universities learn (the hard way) that a room with tools and machines is not necessarily a makerspace.
They also learn that on their own, makerspaces do little to foster design, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
The Make Impact Consortium helps member schools collaborate and leverage shared learning and leading practices, to mitigate mistakes, and accelerate preferred outcomes, including
- Designing and equipping effective and attractive makerspaces, and complementary facilities
- Defining and measuring success of a makerspace
- Ensuring safety without constraining access
- Coordinating makerspaces with design, innovation and entrepreneurship resources
- Addressing and satisfying fundraising, staffing, and other resource needs
- Fostering and sustaining robust ecosystems on and around campuses – incorporating design, innovation, makerspace, and entrepreneurial resources – to support students, alumni, and community members from idea, to prototype, to successful start-up
Read more about the Make Impact Consortium and our private and public partners.