Social Innovation

The Social Innovation major will be discontinued effective Fall 2024 pending faculty governance approvals and appropriate notifications to the College’s institutional accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). New declarations of the SI major will cease effective Fall 2023 and current SI majors will be notified of completion options at that time. 

Social innovation (SI) involves “the creation of new ideas that address social problems by reconceiving the status quo to create more sustainable and just systems that benefit marginalized groups and society as a whole” (Brown University). The Social Innovation major prepares Rollins students with the interdisciplinary knowledge and skills to solve social problems in innovative ways.  It covers different vehicles of social change, such as non-profits, public policy advocacy, activism, public awareness, and community organizing.  Skills highlighted in the SI major include human-centered design thinking (HCDT); critical analysis of social problems; data collection and analysis; impact assessment; creative problem-solving; public communication; organizational skills; empathy and emotional resiliency. The SI major prepares students to be global citizens and responsible leaders in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.