KEEN: The Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network

Content developed from Engineering Unleashed: https://engineeringunleashed.com/what-is-keen.

KEEN is a partnership of more than 62 colleges and universities across the United States. The schools in the Network focus on one mission: to reach all undergraduate engineering students with an entrepreneurial mindset (EM) so they can create personal, economic, and societal value through a lifetime of meaningful work. 

NC State has been a member of the KEEN network since 2022. As a land-grant university with a philosophy of ‘Think and Do,’ NC State’s goals to prepare students to succeed in their chosen industries and create value in the world align well with KEEN’s mission. Other North Carolina members include Wake Forest University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campbell University, and Duke University.

KEEN offers a variety of programs, resources, and workshops:

• The KEEN Framework, was developed to supplement the engineering skills that faculty already teach.
• Exchange of best practices and co-creation through conferences, cards, and collaborative granted work.
• Faculty development: National Workshops, mentorship, on-campus programs, on-demand learning, and more. 
• Identifying and supporting champions, e.g. Engineering Unleashed Fellows and Community Catalysts.
• Ambassadors to professional societies.