Starting your own FIRST College Program (FIRST Conference)

[Nica F.]

This year at the FIRST Championship event, Purdue FIRST Programs will be presenting a conference about starting College/University FIRST Programs.

The College/University FIRST Programs we will be presenting on aren't for "College Level" Robotics Competitions, but rather to start a FIRST program for the University to help start teams(FRC,FTC,FLL) , support local teams in any way they can (through mentorship, sponsorship, or facilities), or hosting a regional at said university/college.

The conference is one of the many interesting topics selected for this year's FIRST Robotics Conferences at the Championship event. This conference will begin at 9am on Thursday morning. The entire conference will begin at 8am. More info can be found here.

Here is a sneak peak of our abstract:

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FIRST for Life! Starting a College FIRST Program

Are you no longer in the FRC age range or a graduating senior but still want to continue your FIRST participation? Are you a mentor or sponsor looking for more support from a local University or College? Why not find out how to start a collegiate college FIRST program at your local university or college. This workshop will introduce various types of existing college FIRST programs and will help you make the right moves towards starting the type of program that you want.

Topics include:
• Types of College FIRST Programs

• What are the benefits of having a college program?
• Examples of existing college programs
• Levels of university involvement

• Getting Support

• Finding your initial stakeholders
• How to get university/college support

• Sustaining a College FIRST Program

• Importance of a long-term vision
• Membership retention
• Stakeholder satisfaction

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If this sounds like something you find interesting and valuable to yourself, team, or university, I hope you join us for this conference! Current high school students, mentors, faculty, and sponsors are all welcome!

If you have any questions about this conference, please feel free to ask them on this thread or via PM to me.

Good luck at the Championship event!
Nica Fernandez
Purdue FIRST Programs