The University of Arkansas College of Engineering welcomed Rich Carter from Oregon State University's College of Science on Sept. 18-19 for a comprehensive campus visit focused on advancing innovation and entrepreneurship in academic settings.

Carter is the principal investigator of the National Science Foundation-funded program to facilitate a national conversation on how to ensure academic incentives such as promotion and tenure value innovation and entrepreneurship and reward broader societal impacts. This led to the creation of the Promotion & Tenure-Innovation & Entrepreneurship effort, which involves more than 65 institutions from around the country and numerous national stakeholder organizations.

While on campus, Carter received guided tours of key innovation spaces across campus, including the Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research and the McMillon Innovation Studio, and innovation-focused spaces at the Arkansas Research and Technology Park. These tours provided Carter with firsthand insight into the university's commitment to fostering entrepreneurial thinking and applied research among students and faculty.

Following the tours, various leadership teams across the university met with Carter before his presentation, "Incorporating Innovation and Entrepreneurship into Faculty Recognition and Reward Systems," held in Mullins Library's Main Event Space from 1:30-2:30 p.m. The session, which drew faculty and staff from across the university, addressed critical questions about integrating innovation and entrepreneurship alongside more traditional forms of scholarship in promotion and tenure evaluations.

"Our faculty are leaders in innovation, and we wanted to demonstrate that there are ways to recognize these contributions alongside more traditional academic metrics," said Kevin Hall, College of Engineering associate dean for academics. "Dr. Carter's presentation provided an excellent opportunity to introduce and foster this conversation with the broader university community."

The visit provided insight into how institutions can better support faculty innovation and entrepreneurship efforts while adapting to the changing landscape of higher education and research impact.