{"id":8223,"date":"2026-05-19T14:47:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T14:47:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/entrepreneurship-and-innovation\/?page_id=8223"},"modified":"2026-05-20T15:08:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T15:08:45","slug":"end-of-year-letter-2025-2026","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/entrepreneurship-and-innovation\/end-of-year-letter-2025-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"End of Year Letter 2025-2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\tECON238 Course Fall 2025 students at final presentations.<\/span>\n\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\tCelebrating Macathon 2025 with the winning teams, alumni and staff.<\/span>\n\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\tJ Term 2026 Live It Fund student showcase.<\/span>\n\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\tThe Department of Entrepreneurship & Innovation and Idea Lab student staff at the 2025 Fall Kick Off celebration.<\/span>\n\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\tStudents tuning into the Jeremy Allaire ’93 watch party, “From Early Adopter To Industry Leader.”<\/span>\n\t\t\t
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Dear Macalester Community,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, our department made significant progress toward our vision: a Macalester where every student sees themselves as a curious and confident innovator, ready to navigate uncertainty and shape a more just and sustainable future.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Student Outcomes<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Our first strategic pillar is student outcomes, <\/strong>especially creating a broader range of entry points so more students can find a meaningful way into entrepreneurship and innovation. We taught 20 students in Intro to Entrepreneurship, supported 79 students across 18 teams in our 12th annual Macathon, supported 6 students’ work across 4 countries during J-Term, and are preparing 8 students to work with Twin Cities startups and 6 students to pursue projects across 5 countries this summer. We also created lower-barrier entry points through panels, workshops, trips, and events, including our first MacExplore Entrepreneurship and Innovation trip with 14 students traveling to Denver and Boulder, our first Twin Cities Activation Fund trip, taking 10 students to visit food and agriculture social impact organizations in our community, and our first Indigenizing Initiatives workshops with over 30 students across two sessions in the fall and spring. 
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Campus <\/strong>Partners<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Our second pillar is partnership across campus,<\/strong> connecting with different members of our community. This year, the Idea Lab became a true campus hub for innovation, supporting 65 class reservations, 51 student-led workshops, partnerships with 18 academic departments and 17 non-academic departments, and receiving over 1,951 students. We also launched our first Innovation Fellows program, taking 5 faculty members to Silicon Valley to explore entrepreneurship, innovation, design thinking, and AI, while deepening collaborations with academic departments, student affairs partners, and Macalester-funded initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outward Projection<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Our third pillar is outward projection<\/strong>, strengthening Macalester\u2019s presence in the broader innovation ecosystem while bringing that ecosystem back to campus. We hosted 100+ guests across panels on AI, social impact, medical innovation, and Native American entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the first time, we also<\/p>\n\n\n\n