As we have periodically discussed on our blog, the Compass Fellows pilot program at Georgetown University has proven to be a success above and beyond anyone’s expectations. Enthusiastic about these results, the Compass Fellows expansion team has been hard at work this summer to gear up for a regional expansion. Three new campuses will begin fellowship operations this fall: two campuses, George Washington University and American University, will be added to our DC regional hub, and a new Midwest region will open its first chapter at Indiana University. The expansion team is excited to see the program develop some new flavors at each of these schools and to witness how the DC region in particular will collaborate to make each campus fellowship more effective.

The George Washington University

The Compass Fellows program is cementing its base at George Washington University for Fall 2010 through partnerships with the GWU School of Business, Social Enterprise Forum, and undergraduate Net Impact chapter which will facilitate the process of replicating the Georgetown pilot program’s success. Dan Preiss and Cristina Roman, the founders of GWU’s Compass Fellows chapter, and their team will spend the summer preparing for what promises to be a tremendous journey starting this fall. The partnership between The George Washington University’s Social Enterprise Forum and School of Business, which will lend expertise in both social impact and entrepreneurship, is an ideal position to grow the newly-formed Compass Fellows chapter.

American University
Through the leadership of Sheena Yoon and Josh Kaller, the American mentor team is working this summer from all corners of the globe to launch the Compass Fellowship on their campus this fall.  Compass has already established a solid relationship with the School of International Studies as well as several business professors, and looks forward to expanding its network even wider in the coming months. The mentor team at American proudly represents a variety of countries and intends to integrate a global perspective of social entrpreneurship into the program for each of the freshmen fellows who are accepted.  The American team is spending the late summer preparing for the arrival of its freshman applicants and is looking forward to an exciting year that is sure to be full of great surprises!

Indiana University
The Compass Fellowship is venturing out to the Midwest – taking root in Indiana University with the help of brothers Nick and William Huster. Through partnerships with local businesses and entrepreneurs, and the Liberal Arts Management Program, the IU Wing of Compass is shaping up to be a huge success. In July, our inaugural group of mentors is entering a s eries of training modules to prepare them to start shaping the lives of their fellows and in August, recruitment will begin. The college town of Bloomington, IN is an exciting home for this class of Compass Fellows, being a hotbed for musicians, entrepreneurs, and intellectuals. This is the first step toward making the Compass program truly a nationwide endeavor – and we’re so excited to make it happen.