Hawk Pitch Challenge

Your College. Your Ideas. Your Voice.

Help Shape The Future of CSM.

Do you have a great idea for how to improve the college or the student experience?

Is there something missing that would support you in your education?

Have you come up with ways to reduce stress and increase motivation for you and your fellow students? 

Igniting Innovation At CSM: See how ideas submitted thru Hawk Pitch are transformed into innovation at CSM. 

Submit your Idea to the Hawk Pitch Challenge

Great things start as ideas graphic

View Info For Faculty And Staff

Submit Your Pitch -- Review Process -- Check Out Past Pitches

Your College. Your Ideas. Your Voice. Graphic

View Info For Students

Submit Your Pitch - See Guidelines - Check-Out Past Pitches

Let's Innovate!

  • To enable the Vision of CSM to be the region’s first choice for accessible, inclusive, and innovative education that transforms communities we must continually examine, renew and adopt leading edge policies, practices and technologies.
    • Competitiveness and relevancy are two words that describe the importance of innovation in any organization. 
    • Continuous improvement requires the ongoing tracking of trends in the internal and external environment that can define our success.  

INNOVATION defined by the Merriam Webster Dictionary

  • a new idea, method, or device; 
  • the introduction of something new

Innovations can either be performed by individuals, groups or an entire organization.  

The types of innovations to be considered can be described as product, process or technical.  These innovations can result in radical or incremental change.  (Damanpour, 1991) (Damanpour & Aravind, 2012) (Sciulli, 1998).  

  • Radical innovations result in major deviations from current practices replacing them with processes, products or technical changes that are entirely new. 
    • Product innovations are often technology driven based upon demand or new advancements.
    • Process innovations are those improvements made to how a product or service is produced, i.e. efficiency.  
  • Incremental innovations have minor deviations from current practices resulting in a series of small-scale improvements made to an existing product or service to add or sustain value.
    • Technical innovations can involve both product and processes as its adaptation can improve upon an organization’s work.

  • It promotes critical thinking.
  • It gives you a great feeling of adventure and the push to dream.
  • It gives you a connection to the work and you often understand it better than anyone else.
  • It will improve and advance CSM's Mission and show your investment!

About the College Innovation Alliance (The C.I.A.)

We are a team of faculty and staff who have been meeting to develop ways we can create an ecosystem of innovation at CSM.

The role of the College Innovation Alliance (C.I.A.) is neither to approve or deny innovative ideas but to ensure collaboration and the appropriate conversations occur to either improve the recommended initiative, support it, or determine if it is redundant or prohibitive.

Mission

We foster and facilitate an inclusive culture of collaboration at CSM where new ideas are welcomed and opportunities for education are expanded that lead to meaningful changes advancing the mission and vision of the College.

 

  • Design a system of innovation capture and cultivation​
  • Act as an innovation broker by providing employees and students with a process to pitch new ideas.​
  • Improve inter-departmental collaboration on projects and new ideas​

  • Encourage professional development about innovation and intrapreneurship​
  • Encourage a speaker’s series​
  • Research and stay current on innovative practices particularly in higher education​

  • Encourage employees and students to be innovative and have an intra/entrepreneurial mindset​
  • Reward and celebrate innovation​

Our Team

Ellen Flowers-Fields
Ellen Flowers-Fields
Vice President, Continuing Education and Workforce Development
Leslie Quattlebaum
Leslie Quattlebaum
Executive Director, Velocity Center
Gretchen Hardman
Gretchen Hardman
Assistant Director, Strategic Initiatives
Destini Courtney
Destini Courtney
Assistant Director, Student Equity and Success

Jeffrey Hunt
Jeffrey Hunt
Business Professor, Innovation

Tracy Hamm-Simmons
Tracy Hamm-Simmons
Director, Program/Project Management
Heather Zeolla
Heather Zeolla
Executive Director, Campus Operations
Denise Gilmer-Knudson
Denise Gilmer-Knudson
Professor and Department Chair, Miller Center

Monty Campbell
Monty Campbell
Business Solutions Analyst, Program/Project Management

Michelle Silcox
Michelle Silcox
Dean, Student Development

Questions and Coaching

First Wednesday of the Month at 12 p.m.
Email innovation@csmd.edu to Sign Up

Prizes generously sponsored by:

CSM Foundation logo   Educational Systems Federal Credit Union logo
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