RAP led by Clarke, Milner wins award for social entrepreneurship

The Sustainability and Social Innovation Residential Academic Program (SSI RAP), founded by professor Susan Clarke, its lead instructor, and curriculum developer Francy Milner, has been selected as one of six programs to receive the 2015 Ashoka U-Cordes Innovation Award.

SSI RAP provides an engaging academic, social and interdisciplinary environment for freshmen students living in the residential halls who are eager to solve the world’s most challenging problems. Building on the residence hall culture, students take social innovation courses, develop their own social ventures, and meet outstanding social entrepreneurs.

The Ashoka-U Cordes Innovation Awards recognize top educational approaches in social entrepreneurship within higher education. The 2015 Awardees were selected based on three criteria: Innovation – model addresses a clear challenge or opportunity for advancing an entrepreneurial or socially impactful mindset, skillset, and culture for the university context; replication – model may be easily adapted without losing quality and impact; and maturity -  there is evidence of refinement and iteration of the model over time.

Awardees will be recognized at the Ashoka U Exchange on Feb. 27. The exchange brings together more than 650 university faculty, staff and administrators from 120 colleges and universities spread across 30 countries to share best practices for social innovation in higher education.