CHDP Partners

Boeing seeks creative and innovative solutions that are derived from collaborative teams that are defining the future of aerospace.  Through the Calhoun Honors Discovery Program, Boeing intends to support a new educational paradigm to develop students' skills for effective transdiciplinary teamwork and instill an approach for adaptive learning that will be the foundation of future Boeing leaders.

At Caterpillar, we are powered by our people. We develop and design the solutions that help our customers build a better world. We believe in bringing opportunities to the next generation of problem solvers, and that’s why we are partnering with the Calhoun Honors Discovery Program. Caterpillar is proud to support early talent in this state-of-the-art educational learning environment that combines collaboration, teamwork, critical thinking and creativity – the skills needed to help solve the world’s persistent challenges and make progress possible. 

GE Aviation has been a driving force for flight for more than 100 years. The Calhoun Honors Discovery Program reflects how we operate — in a collaborative cross-functional team environment — to develop innovative technologies and flexible solutions to meet our customers’ needs. Through our engagement with students in CHDP, we can prepare them to rise to the challenge of building a world that works.

The Capital Youth Empowerment Program (CYEP) is a non-profit community-based organization located in Northern Virginia/Washington, DC with a mission to promote life-long learning and economic empowerment for minority, underrepresented, and low wage populations through social, educational, and workforce development.  CYEP is partnering with the Calhoun Honors Discovery Program to support inclusive growth in STEM eco-system and workforce development.  The academic, industry and non-profit collaborations within the program provide a dynamic platform to create sustainable and innovative solutions to complex economic and social problems in our society. 

Ithaka S+R is a not-for-profit research and consulting service that helps academic and cultural communities serve the public good and navigate economic, technological, and demographic change. Through our work, we aim to increase access to knowledge and educational attainment for diverse populations. We are thrilled to collaborate with the Calhoun Honors Discovery Program, whose values are so well aligned to our own. We look forward to working with students, scholars, and other partner organizations in a transdisciplinary, problem-oriented educational setting and tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges.  

United Way of Southwest Virginia fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in Southwest Virginia because they are the building blocks for a good quality of life. Through an initiative-based cradle-to-career approach, United Way of Southwest Virginia is creating sustainable solutions to address the challenges facing tomorrow’s workforce. United Way convenes cross-sector partners to make an impact on the most complex problems in our region. Through collaboration with government, business, nonprofit and individuals, United Way innovates for positive, lasting social change.   With a footprint that covers nearly 20% of the state of Virginia, United Way of Southwest Virginia programs and initiatives serve the counties of Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Dickenson, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Lee, Montgomery, Pulaski, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, and Wythe, and the cities of Bristol, Galax, Norton, and Radford.

The College Access Collaborative (CAC) works to improve students' K-12 educational experience so that students can see college as a realistic next step, regardless of their socioeconomic status. CAC is excited to partner with the Calhoun Honors Discovery Program to help identify and prepare diverse, academically talented young people to work together to transform communities and address the world’s most pressing challenges. For Virginia Tech to achieve its goal of preparing the next generations of leaders and problems solvers, we must engage our future students from elementary school to community college--now. CAC is thrilled that CHDP faculty, business and industry, and educational partners will go into schools and communities around the commonwealth together to facilitate hands-on and collaborative learning among diverse students. 

As the human-centered governance of technology is becoming a grand challenge of our century, the Center for Humanities is transforming the humanities-technology nexus by advancing human-centered approaches to technology to develop ethical guidance of innovation, to prepare a diverse cadre of transdisciplinary learners to understand how technology is challenging conventional views of human identity, and to prepare a new generation of visionary leaders to blend humanistic and technical approaches to shaping the future of a global society increasingly driven by innovation. The Center for Humanities is partnering with the Calhoun Honors Discovery Program to execute this vision by developing modules based on the “Tech for Humanity” initiative; by participating in new opportunities for experiential cross sector learning; and by interfacing with thought leaders and students participating in the Calhoun Honors Discovery Program —all to leverage a new approach to comprehensive learning on technology innovation for societal impact