The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) at Texas State University invites applications for a new Director starting in 2024. The preferred start date for this position is no later than summer 2024 with the possibility to begin as soon as February 2024.
The Director of the CIE is the center’s top leader responsible for overseeing Texas State’s entrepreneurial initiatives and collaborating with its stakeholders on campus and beyond. The CIE’s mission is to connect, support, and grow a robust innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem to empower talented, passionate, and hard-working Texas State University Bobcats by giving them the tools to distinguish themselves with 21st-century skills and achieve the extraordinary. (See https://innovation.txst.edu/.)
While the Director of the CIE reports to the Department of Management in the McCoy College of Business, a primary emphasis is placed on serving students, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders from all parts of campus and the community.
About Texas State University
Texas State University, located along the beautiful San Marcos River, is in the center of Texas’s innovation corridor. The city of San Marcos is home to the university, which is 25 miles south of Austin and 60 miles north of San Antonio. Nestled in the Texas Hill Country, the campus enjoys a beautiful setting along the banks of the San Marcos River and nearby access to two major airports.
Texas State is driving what’s next in research, academic excellence, and student success. The promising students, inspiring faculty, dedicated staff, and new graduates are primed to have an impact, change lives, and make a difference in the world. As a national research university with a Carnegie classification of Doctoral University: High Research Activity, Texas State is committed to world-class research and scholarly activities that span all disciplines, create new knowledge, and promote economic, cultural, and technological advancement to address real-world issues. Based on FY21 levels, Texas State is in the top 20% nationally in total R&D expenditures and is on the trajectory to become a “Tier One” research university.
With more than 38,000 students, Texas State is among the 50 largest public universities in the nation. Students choose from over 200 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs offered by nine colleges. Texas State’s enrollment of minority students accounts for over 50% of the student population, and Hispanic student enrollment accounts for over 40% of the student body. The university is a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution and is one of 30 institutions nationally to receive the prestigious Seal of Excelencia in recognition of efforts to accelerate the success of Hispanic students in higher education. Additionally, Texas State has been named by Forbes as one of “America’s Top Colleges” and as a “Best Employer,” “Best Employer for Diversity,” and a “Best Employer for Women.” The university is also regularly ranked a “Best College for Veterans.” In 2023, the part-time MBA program in the McCoy College of Business was ranked among the best part-time MBA programs in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. (See this list for other recent recognitions: https://www.txst.edu/about/rankings.html.)
Additional Details about the Position
- Leadership, Administration, and Strategic Planning
- Plan, facilitate, design, schedule, and implement projects and programs initiated by the CIE with center staff.
- Develop and implement a comprehensive annual strategy for the CIE.
- Work with university, college, and departmental leadership for resource optimization.
- Embody the spirit of innovation and inclusive excellence in executing the Center’s mission and vision.
- Build strategic partnerships to enhance CIE effectiveness.
- Administer the distribution of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Scholarships.
- Oversee the administration of grants, endowments, and funding of the Center.
- Student Engagement, Development, and Programming
- Recruit, engage, and support students from all colleges across campus.
- Design and implement student ideation competitions and related opportunities.
- Provide coaching and support to program participants.
- Play an integral and visible role in the development of students and student-led businesses.
- Design and oversee a portfolio of programs, projects, workshops, and events.
- Direct student co-curricular activities, which include but are not limited to: Ignite, Deep Dive, TXST New Ventures Competition, SXSW® Innovation Lab, Women’s Entrepreneurship Week, and the Innovation Series.
- Design and implement programming that is inclusive of and beneficial for all stakeholders (e.g., students, staff, faculty, alumni, community members).
- Academic Integration and Faculty Collaboration
- Work closely with faculty interested in integrating entrepreneurship and innovation concepts into new or existing courses.
- Assist with the integration of entrepreneurship into the academic curriculum and within the university’s undergraduate minor in Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
- Collaborate with relevant faculty to plan, coordinate, and host the Studies in Entrepreneurship Speaker Series.
- Teach up to one course through the Minor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship or in the Entrepreneurship Concentration.
This position is subject to the availability of funds.