Innovation and Leadership Institute
Dr. Wood's Vision
President Michael T. Wood talks about the critical need for a cross-disciplinary knowledge of technology and business, and why Capitol College is uniquely suited to the challenge of educating innovation leaders.
Q: What is the purpose of the Innovation and Leadership Institute?
Dr. Wood: The institute will meld Capitol’s technology and business education to develop leaders with technical savvy. The institute is a way to blend the two fields and go beyond Capitol’s roots in engineering and technology. We will become a college that provides an extraordinary education, but also a place that prepares students to become future innovation leaders, especially in the technical fields.
Q: Capitol College already has an ambitious agenda. Why initiate this now?
Dr. Wood: Establishing the institute continues the college’s 80-year tradition of constantly adapting its curricula to reflect the latest technological developments and the needs of business and government. As a small, agile organization, we can respond quickly with new programs, often before other colleges. Right now, there are many opportunities for people with a cross-disciplinary knowledge of technology and business. Yet few educational programs teach the skills students need to become successful innovation leaders and entrepreneurs.
By launching the Innovation and Leadership Institute, Capitol College is committing its resources to training innovation leaders. Our academic programs in engineering, information technology and business provide an excellent foundation for a focus on entrepreneurial and leadership skills. The Institute’s programs will merge these disciplines and bring together scholars, practitioners, and business and government leaders.
Q: What is an innovation leader?
Dr. Wood: These are leaders who commit their ingenuity to corporate and social good. For our purposes, an innovation leader is a technology developer, user or manager—or anyone in business, industry and government—who applies personal, social and organizational skills and advances technology for the betterment of the individual and society.
Employers expect and demand more from today’s engineers and technologists. Companies want employees who can speak and write, as well as understand the business behind the process. Engineers and technologists need to be able to see the bigger picture, influence other people, take risks, command a following, see new solutions and organize development efforts.
Q: Why do we need innovation leaders?
Dr. Wood: There are too few innovation leaders to meet the world’s needs for healthcare, education, economic development and heightened standards of living. Without these leaders, technologies won’t spread, and businesses won’t last and prosper. Innovation leaders understand and lead change, which is becoming ever more rapid. They understand global environments, and know how to take wise risks. With proper foundations, leaders can apply technical and business skills to self-sufficiency and to the support of other people and institutions.
Q: Why is Capitol College uniquely suited for the Innovation and Leadership Institute?
Dr. Wood: First, engineering, information technologies and business are all we do. By merging these disciplines in the Innovation and Leadership Institute, we can offer collaborative programs that students may not find at other schools. It’s a natural niche for us.
Geographically, our location in the midst of the Baltimore-Washington corridor gives us access to highly-skilled mentors and advisors in government, business and industry. Many of our trustees and alumni are entrepreneurs who lead successful companies doing innovative work in telecommunications, electronics, satellite technology, software development, aerospace engineering and other technology fields.
Finally, we reach an audience eager to acquire leadership and entrepreneurial skills—minorities, working adults, veterans, career changers and IT professionals.