Harper College

Strategic Alliances and Innovation

The Strategic Alliances and Innovation Division houses the Grants Office and Innovation Accelerator and provides support for the College’s Board of Trustees. It is also focused on creating and sustaining alliances with local, regional, and national entities. Strategic Alliances and Innovation collaborates with faculty, staff, administrators, and students across the College to pursue external funding to support the College’s mission and Strategic Goals and to minimize risk and maximize innovation in the accelerated development and incubation of new emerging technology programming.

Units

Innovation Accelerator

The new Innovation Accelerator at Harper is responsible for leading the College in the areas of emerging technology programming with a focus on emerging programming funded via grants and other sources of funding. Innovation drives revenue and enrollment growth, helps with recruitment, and ensures we stay ahead of our competitors while meeting regional workforce demands. Innovation also helps generate new business models and creates new products, services, and technologies designed for a changing market. For FY23, the Innovation Accelerator is collaborating to develop community education, continuing professional education, and college credit courses and programs in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and cloud technologies.

Grants Office

The Grants Office leads the identification of grant funding opportunities, proposal development and submission, and administration of awarded grants through external funding sources that support programs and services offered by Harper College and the Educational Foundation.

Strategic Alliances and Innovation Staff

Dr. Maria Coons

Dr. Susanne Brock

Meg Coney

Magda Dolas

Abigail Drennan

Last Updated: 12/14/23