The Old College Try

I am not sure how many of you have been on college tours lately. With four kids under my roof, two in college and two on the way, I have seen 30+ campuses over the last few years. I have visited East Coast institutions, West Coast schools, Ivies, Little Ivies, boutique liberal arts colleges, SEC powerhouses, and everything in between – and coming from South Africa, I am here to tell you that Americans have no idea how fortunate they are with all these fantastic universities. I am blown away by what these colleges can offer students.

One of the more innovative ideas I have seen is the business and technology incubator platforms nearly every college has on campus. These facilities harness the students' ingenuity, academic expertise, with local, alumni, and college funding to try and solve many of today's most pressing issues. It is a bit like Shark Tank – College Edition, but way more interesting.

On a recent trip to American University, I heard about a plan to rethink defunct office buildings and warehouses by creating hydroponic farms, helping to tackle the issue of food deserts that plague many low-income urban environments. This idea brought together students in agriculture, urban studies, public policy, environmental studies, social work, business, real estate, and as well as public and private sector investors. It is an innovative way to tackle a genuine problem.? ?

Another idea gaining traction in Europe that actually originated here is the idea of incubation zones. Much like the inspiration behind the Research Triangle Park near Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, or Silicon Valley, many European cities are turning old industrial areas or underutilized office corridors into dynamic mixed-use "innovation" districts where housing, office, and retail converge. Public-private sector funding allows these areas to create livable, walkable, creative zones for entrepreneurs, artists, and researchers to come together. Right now, many large US cities are at a crossroads – especially New York. Bouncing back from COVID has been a challenge. Now more than ever, we need creative solutions. We have the puzzle pieces – an educated workforce, access to capital, top-notch higher education, and underutilized space all over the city – now we need the leadership to help put the pieces in place.

Every day, I hear more about these issues facing us and less about how to fix them. No city in the world is better equipped to handle tough challenges; we have done it time and again. An NYC Innovation Hub is one of a million ideas out there, but I'm all for giving it the old college try.

Side Bar:

I am currently reading?The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel:?Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I??by Douglas Brunt. It's a fascinating story of the life of Rudolf Diesel, the creator of the diesel engine who revolutionized engineering – but maybe too well. Others advocating for gas and steam technology were not fans, and shortly before the start of the First World War, he went missing and was never heard from again. Part history, biography, and murder mystery – an overall captivating read. Highly recommend!

Let's do this-

Shaun