Social Innovation

Wheaton’s commitment to social entrepreneurship education and social innovation within the liberal arts was embedded in the institution’s 2016 strategic plan, Wheaton Means Impact: Growing Our Influence on the World. Under President Hanno’s leadership, the college has launched many initiatives to support students interested in social entrepreneurship and innovation, and now Wheaton has strengthened its position as a leader in social innovation.

Social Entrepreneurship at Wheaton

To build upon the college’s historical emphasis on experiential learning as a means for helping students to connect liberal arts study to the needs and concerns of the wider world, the college provides a breadth of opportunities to students, allowing them to explore their inner social entrepreneur. Wheaton offers business boot camps, funded internships, 3D printing labs, and more to help students bring their ideas to fruition. In 2019, the college appointed an endowed chair in social entrepreneurship to lead this popular and growing program, one of the few liberal arts colleges nationwide and the first in the Northeast to appoint a professor for an endowed chair in social entrepreneurship.

Innovation Spaces

Wheaton College was named one of “Best Maker Schools” in 2021 alongside other U.S. and abroad higher education institutions. The college’s innovation spaces facilitate immersive opportunities through a network of both high-tech and traditional creative hubs across campus. Wheaton’s Fab Lab houses 3D printers, a laser cutter, electronics, and other high-tech rapid-prototype tools and machines. The Digital Lab focuses on virtual and augmented reality. Fiber Lab has tools for textile work. Idea Lab was created in collaboration with the Diana Davis Spencer ’60 Foundation to encourage social entrepreneurship and global social impact. The Shop focuses on woodworking, metalworking, and small-scale model prototyping and construction.

Continue inspiring Wheaton students to be leaders in social innovation with a gift through the Wheaton Fund that will enable the college to provide programs and learning spaces that ignite the spark of possibility.