In 2014, former Fulbright Research and Venture for America Fellow Jacob Eichengreen announced the creation of the Quad Innovation Partnership (QIP) in collaboration with Colorado College, the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs (UCCS), Pikes Peak Community College (PPCC), and the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA). Eichengreen is the executive director of the QIP, and has been working closely with the leaders of the four schools: President Jill Tiefenthaler, Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson, Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak, and President Lance Bolton, respectively.
QIP is meant to serve as a center for innovation and entrepreneuriship and to aid graduates from schools in the Colorado Springs area with their transition to the workforce. The institute strives to give these graduates and QIP scholars the tools to turn their entrepreneurial dreams into projects and professions that benefit and enrich the local community.
Eichengreen joined the partnership in its first summer course comprised of just 12 students in 2015. There were four students from each of the colleges except for the USAFA as it was too short notice for the cadets to change their schedules. While the program was small, it “demonstrated the tremendous value that is created when these four schools work together,” said Eichengreen.
Shortly after, Eichengreen moved to Uganda to work on his own company, a small financial firm, but was drawn back to QIP and Colorado Springs after a trip home and conversation with Bolton about how much progress had been made in the partnership. They were seeking a full time executive director, and Eichengreen took it. “I realized there was a compelling opportunity for me to pursue the position and move back to the States,” he said. The opportunity was even more appealing because Eichengreen was born and raised in Colorado Springs. “I want to contribute to the community and to help build the kind of city I want to live in long term,” he continued.
Above all, Eichengreen is interested in the concept of “turning ideas into valuable action.” “Value” goes beyond profit; it extends to accessibility of the profit of ideas and resources and how they are implemented. “The programs the Quad offers are amazing opportunities to explore the different kinds of value that you as an individual can create in the world and how you can take your ideas, bring them out into the world, maximize the value you create, and make a career out of it.
Over the past two years, Eichengreen and the head of each of the four schools have facilitated two summer programs focused on practicing innovation in the Springs. The success has continued to grow, so much so that a space dedicated to run year-round programs is set to open this month at 408 S. Nevada. The QIP focuses on collaboration and has three main areas of thinking and programming: ELEVATE, EDUCATE, and CREATE. “Elevate” is a program made up of events that focus specifically on “easy, fun ways” to use innovation and entrepreneurship in the city. “EDUCATE” entails a summer intensive program and weekend workshops. “CREATE” is a consultancy program beginning this fall that offers paid, project-based work opportunities for students and recent alum. Most of the program is for alumni, but there will be plenty of collaboration with current students.
“One of the top priorities for economic development in the city was retaining more college graduates,” said Tiefenthaler at the inception of QIP. According to Eichengreen, “The biggest accomplishments of the partnership so far are our successes in inspiring graduates to look for and pursue innovative careers at the foot of Pikes Peak. Many of the alumni from the summer pilots have found satisfying, meaningful work as a result of what they saw and were able to do during the summer program, and the ones who have done so here and challenged some of the negative stereotypes of our community are particularly compelling.”
QIP is an amazing opportunity for current CC students as well. Tiefenthaler hopes that “students will attend the space opening on April 19 to learn more about how they can get involved.” In addition, CC’s Campus Innovation Director, Dez Menendez, will be working with Eichengreen to involve undergraduate students in the current programing. One of the areas where they hope to see contributions from students is the summer course which is free to students with additional stipends of up to $1000. The program is ideal for students passionate about social change and making a difference in their local community or anywhere. “I think our future lies in the impressive talent that all four schools produce, and the impact alumni will have” said Eichengreen.