George Davison’s Inventing Curriculum Now Offered at Suffolk University

Dr. Sushil Bhatia, Executive in Residence at Suffolk University’s Sawyer Business School, has recently decided to incorporate George Davison’s “Idea Teacher” curriculum into three different courses being offered in Spring of this year. The courses are Chemistry New Product Development, Writing Business Plans and Global Innovation and Virtual Teams.

Dr. Bhatia has shown an interest in taking products from idea to invention; in 2006, he founded the annual Competition for Innovative Ideas, which gives Suffolk students and alumni a pathway to opportunity, offering $100,000 in grants and professional services. There are also awards under the Competition for Innovative Ideas that are open to the public, such as the Bottom of the Pyramid Award. The competition’s motto is “Your ideas can change your life.” The relationship between Dr. Bhatia and Mr. Davison has developed over the past few years, with Mr. Davison assisting in judging the Product Innovation Competition. Mr. Davison has also joined the Sawyer Business School’s I2E (Idea to Execution) board. Dr. Bhatia is the president and CEO of JMD Manufacturing, a company that manufactures and distributes marking and coding equipment worldwide. The relationship between Dr. Bhatia and Mr. Davison is not difficult to understand, taking into account that Bhatia has co-developed or invented multiple products, including unique convention/seminar name badges, laser and copier labels, binding systems and electro-sensitive paper.  He has also established a manufacturing plant in India and created a distribution network for a Fortune 200 company operating in India, China and Hong Kong.

The inclusion of Davison’s “Idea Teacher” curriculum is in keeping with Dr. Bhatia’s interest in cultivating ideas and innovation. The Idea Teacher curriculum will take students through Mr. Davison’s 9-step inventing method. The process is intended to show the students in the three classes how to go from idea to execution. Dr. Bhatia informed Mr. Davison in an e-mail that, if the Idea Teacher curriculum goes well, he will include it in more classes; he also stated that as he gets feedback and responses, he will be in touch with Mr. Davison to let him know. Mr. Davison has agreed to provide information as needed for Dr. Bhatia to impart the ideas to his students.

The Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University is internationally accredited in business and accounting by the Association to Advance the Collegiate Schools of Business International, a distinction which is shared with less than 10% of the world’s business schools. The Sawyer Business School has the goal of imparting a solid education in the fundamentals to its students, while developing leadership skills and fostering an understanding of organizational dynamics and building relationships. The curriculum embraces evolving business practices, and the faculty and students of Suffolk originate from all over the world, bringing unique outlooks and experiences into the classroom to bring the concept of the global economy to life.

If the inclusion of the Idea Teacher curriculum into Dr. Bhatia’s classes is successful, in a few years of expansion Suffolk University may become known as a school where students can actually take a class in inventing.