Modern society lives in an era defined by persistent forces of change and a range of increasingly complicated global challenges — challenges that also create opportunities for innovation and transformation. Relentless, accelerating change of this scope and scale demands action-oriented university graduates with the knowledge, tools and responsiveness to boldly create the future rather than react to it. The NEXT Innovation Scholars (NIS) program answers this call by cultivating a diverse cohort of resilient, forward-thinking problem-solvers who embrace ambiguity with the intellect, curiosity and confidence to drive innovation and lead in a complex world.
Spearheaded by President Neville G. Pinto and aligned with UC’s Next Lives Here strategic direction, this highly selective scholarship program leverages UC’s signature strengths and strategic relationships to immerse students in contextual collisions of disciplines, industries and cultures of innovation both inside and outside the university.
NIS is uniquely differentiated from other scholarship and honors programs by its emphasis on collaborative, cross-disciplinary experiences that intentionally create collisions between disciplines and industries. Examples include:
- Participation in multiple cross-disciplinary innovation immersion experiences with external partners from commercial industry, cause-based organizations and social entrepreneurs, and scholarly thought leaders.
- Structured opportunities for professional mentorship and networking through local, regional and national networks of alumni and leaders in the field of innovation.
- Additional layers of student advising related to coursework, extra/co-curricular engagement and career education.
- Completion of specific cross-disciplinary design thinking and innovation coursework and projects.
- Access to training, networking and active engagement with a global network of peer innovators through the University Innovation Fellows program facilitated by Stanford University.
- Streamlined engagement with the burgeoning Cincinnati Innovation District and the 1819 Innovation Hub.
Your gift to the NEXT Innovation Scholars program will provide scholarships that allow students these unique experiences, courses and access to resources, positioning them as collaborators and co-creators in the future of innovation at UC and beyond by placing them at the epicenter of local, national and global innovation ecosystems.
UC and UC Health employees can give via payroll deduction today!
