Center for Innovation & Growth
at Baldwin Wallace University
Center for Innovation & Growth
at Baldwin Wallace University
Developing the Next Generation of Leaders
Center for Innovation & Growth at Baldwin Wallace University
About Us
The Center for Innovation & Growth (CIG) is the home for entrepreneurship at Baldwin Wallace University. With a mission to infuse innovation and entrepreneurship campus-wide and contribute to regional economic development, this co-curricular program welcomes students of all majors. The goal of CIG is to develop the next generation of leaders who can start, grow and reinvent things, whether they launch their own businesses or work for established companies.
Featured Initiatives
Ratcliffe Student-Athlete Fellows Colloquium
Colloquia: Ratcliffe Student Fellows and Student Athlete Fellows
These seminar programs are open to all majors and provide students the opportunity to develop insights about the entrepreneurial process and think about leadership and innovation guided by integrity. Students learn from, meet with, and develop relationships with successful leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs. Prospective Ratcliffe fellows are nominated for the colloquia by BW faculty, coaches, staff and peers. Upon program completion, fellows can apply to be Growth Practice intern.
Growth Practice interns & CIG alumni
CIG Growth Practice
Through the Center’s Growth Practice – a professionally led, student supported consultancy – a team of ten highly trained and competitively selected interns exercise their entrepreneurial mindsets and skillsets by serving on project teams for real world clients. Simply put, the CIG Growth Practice takes a client-focused approach to helping organizations overcome their barriers to growth.
Throughout the internship, students meet and work with experienced innovators and entrepreneurs, while developing project management skills and receiving professional presentation coaching. In CIG’s team based environment, the primary role of the interns is to conduct both secondary market research and primary market research using Voice of the Customer methodology. The interns, with support from a faculty project manager, create and deliver presentations for clients outlining research findings and strategic options.
Since 2012, The Philip E. & Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation has generously provided funding for the Growth Practice Internship. What the Ratcliffe Foundation makes possible for the Growth Practice interns results in a profound impact on their lives – positioning each for professional and personal success.
Featured Videos
Growth Practice | Alumni Impact
This Alumni Impact video profiles five Growth Practice alumni as they reflect on their time at the Center for Innovation & Growth and how the experience has impacted their professional careers.
2018 Growth Practice Impact
The 2018 intern cohort shares the impact of their Growth Practice experience, which includes a special message of gratitude to Carole Ratcliffe and the Ratcliffe Foundation.
Growth Practice Summer 2020 | Pandemic Pivot
The 2020 intern cohort, whose Growth Practice internship was virtual due to the pandemic, share how they stayed productive and pivoted their mindset during such uncertain times.
Bryce Posner '21 Testimonial
Bryce Posner ’21 shares his personal reflection about the privilege of serving as a Growth Practice intern.
Featured Page Links
Wrestling Grad’s Journey Comes Full Circle at BW Center for Innovation & Growth
As the growth practice manager for the Center for Innovation & Growth (CIG), Shapiro joins a program that was instrumental in helping guide him through a student-athlete's journey that was rocked by a season-ending injury.
Bilingual Career Goal Leads BW Senior Down Many Paths
Becoming a speech therapist takes hard work, but Katie Fowler '20 is doubling down to make her career goals even more challenging to achieve.
Under Center, Leader for All: Miller Connects on Football Field and Campus
Baldwin Wallace University football captains aren't just handed the title. Prospective captains must first submit an application, which is then followed by a team vote. Leadership and character are important factors in making the decision. It was no surprise, then, when senior quarterback A.J. Miller (Coral Springs Fla./Coral Springs Charter) was announced as a 2019 captain and he has the resume to back it up.
Student-Athletes Play Major Role in Center for Innovation & Growth
Seven words. Seven classical virtues that have impacted society for centuries. Since the beginning of the Center for Innovation & Growth (CIG), student fellows have been educated in these seven classical virtues. With the original year-long program, however, a large portion of the Baldwin Wallace University student population missed out on the fellowship opportunity. When in season, student-athletes were unavailable for at least one of the two semesters, meaning they weren't likely to participate in the program. Luckily, the CIG already had a tie to athletics.
FINANCE FIRM'S YOUNGEST-EVER VP HONORED BY CRAIN'S CLEVELAND
Only four years after graduating from BW, Brooke Hradisky '14 is already establishing herself in the world of finance as the youngest vice president in the history of Carleton McKenna & Company and a 2018 Crain's Cleveland Business 20 in Their 20s honoree.
Program Highlights
