Responding to IEP Reviewer Comments

On December 14, APLU hosted a webinar for our current IEP startup cohort built around the theme of “Responding to Reviewer Comments.” 

Dr. Dominique Halaby, Associate Provost for Innovation and Commercialization and Founding Director of the Business Innovation Group (BIG) at Georgia Southern University served as the webinar’s presenter.  

He began the presentation by providing an overview of Georgia Southern University along with the events leading to Georgia Southern’s pursuit of the IEP designation. He then discussed their self-study process along with the areas for improvement before moving into the institution’s strategy for responding to reviewer comments.  

Amongst the insights and advice shared by Dr. Halaby with webinar attendees were: 

• Submit an Application for Feedback prior to submitting for designation 
• Announce your institution’s participation in the IEP Designation process to bring institutional awareness to the endeavor as well as a culture of accountability 
• Engage with external stakeholders to understand the community’s needs 
• Use events to position the institution as an engaged institution and demonstrate commitment to regional economic development 
• Invite key stakeholders to university-sponsored events 
• Draft reports and use them to galvanize local industry and establish new industries in the region 
• Support entrepreneurship and innovation by creating and supporting incubators and accelerators 
• Focus on storytelling 
• Use the IEP application as a “living document” and as a strategic North Star 

Up next, we held a commencement for our 2022 IEP Designees and had them answer the following question: “what’s the most important piece of advice about the IEP process that you would like to share with your peers?” 

Below is a snippet of the advice shared with participants: 

• IEP is an extension of a university’s engagement efforts, so you need to make sure to coordinate campus-wide
• Do not rush the designation process
• Use the Application for Feedback option
• Engage as many campus stakeholders as possible throughout the application process
• Hire a Research Assistant to help with writing the application
• Trust the process, particularly “know, measure, tell, and engage”
• Develop a strong and resolute team to work on the IEP Designation from the outset
• Take the time to interview as many internal and external stakeholders as possible

Interested in Applying for Designation or Comment? 

The next and first IEP Designation and Comment Deadline for 2023 is February 3, 2023. Access Momentive to submit your application.