A College Minor In Changemaking?

With Smith & Wesson moving a lot of their operations to Tennessee, I was checking to see what colleges and universities in the area offered that might be useful to that company. I was particularly interested in engineering and STEM programs.

Along the way I stumbled across a school that had a minor in “Changemaking”. I thought that it was good that this school was offering a practical minor for those students who had majored in fields with less than optimal job prospects. You know, the majors where graduates will be asking “do you want fries with that?” Now, at least, they would be equipped with the skills to handle a cash register and make correct change.

Unfortunately, it seems more about community organizing and “positive social change”.

The Changemaking minor equips students with the mindset, knowledge, and skills to effect positive social change in their communities. Grounded in theories and methodologies of social innovation and social entrepreneurship, the minor affords students opportunities to study, develop, and implement regional social change projects in collaboration with partners in education, government, industry, and nonprofit sectors.

I am not going to name the university lest it embarrass my good friend David Cole. I do expect that school to kick one of my alma maters in football when they meet in November.

I will note the school does have a good number of engineering technology programs including in fields like product development, industrial engineering technology, and mechanical engineering technology. It also has the full range of business majors. Thus, not all is lost.

I think the move of Smith & Wesson to east Tennessee is a great win for that state and their industrial recruiters should be congratulated.