Goal of this card: 

This card was created to orient new KEEN Partners once they have signed and executed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Kern Family Foundation (which is operating in this sense on behalf of KEEN).

Reviewing this card will provide you with information about how to get started, how to communicate about joining KEEN, how to begin the work on your campus, and how to start coordinating with the Kern Family Foundation and the KEEN Leadership Council.

This card has been written specifically for KEEN Leaders and other faculty championing entrepreneurial mindset at new partner institutions. 

STEP 1: The Announcement

We are excited to announce your institution joining KEEN to the rest of the Network and want to work with you to broadcast that message to your campus community and beyond. Let’s coordinate on this! Foundation staff will contact your KEEN contact person (identified in your application) to schedule a virtual meeting.  

Who should attend: 

• Anyone responsible for communications about KEEN within your college, as well as those you’ve identified as KEEN contacts on your campus.

What is the agenda?

• Announcement of KEEN partnership to your campus community (you can see example press releases in the communications folder below)

• Announcement of KEEN partnership through our newsletters

• Publishing your institutional partner page on EngineeringUnleashed.com.

• Branding permission (see link below in communications folder)

• Miscellaneous topics such as KEENews subscriptions, upcoming events, etc.

STEP 2: Building Awareness and Champions

Building awareness and champions for KEEN among your staff and faculty is essential for this work to take hold. Let’s get started by sharing KEEN Leader Essentials - what others in the Network have developed and learned as promising practices. Foundation staff will contact your KEEN contact person to schedule a virtual meeting.

Who should attend:

• You likely have a group of engineering faculty and staff serving as your KEEN Leader group. This will be a valuable meeting for this group. 

What is the agenda?

• Why regular internal meetings of your KEEN leaders and goal setting are important.

• How to grow your faculty engagement in KEEN.

• How to grow your student engagement in EM.

• How can EM be messaged to students, staff and faculty.

• What funding is available through the Kern Family Foundation and other sources.

• Are there a couple Network partners to connect to and mechanisms to do that.

• What are the next KEEN events or deadlines of which you need to be aware. 

STEP 3: Reaching Your Faculty

Following these two introduction meetings, you have the opportunity to engage with other Network partners to launch the KEEN initiative on your campus and introduce more of your faculty and staff to EM and the Network. Please reach out to Foundation staff if we can help with these follow up meetings:

• KEEN launch, so your engineering faculty and staff become familiar with their roles internally and the opportunities to connect across the Network

• Engineering Unleashed demo, so your faculty become familiar with the website content and best practices for finding and creating useful resources.

STEP 4: The Summer Workshop

You will be selecting two KEEN leaders from your institution to attend a summer Engineering Unleashed Faculty Development (EUFD) program specifically for new KEEN leaders. These faculty or staff leaders will work on a KEEN-related project on your campus for a year and will receive support from coaches and mentors. 

STEP 5: Staying Up to Date 

Lastly - stay up to date on current opportunities and deadlines offered to KEEN partners.  

• The KEEN Leader Group highlights current information that you’ll need. Bookmark it and be sure to check it regularly. 

• Check your Engineering Unleashed profile to make sure you are subscribed to all newsletters.