A future shaped by you: The Norton School's Big Ideas Summit

The Norton School of Human Ecology recently hosted its second Big Ideas Summit, inviting faculty, staff, and students to share bold ideas for the school's future.

The concept is simple: give people the floor — and five to six minutes — to pitch something that could move the Norton School forward. 

"At my former institution, I used to say I have all these big ideas but nobody asks me," said Laura Scaramella, Director of the Norton School. "So I said, let's have a Big Idea Summit where you tell us the biggest ideas and the things you want to do at the Norton School." 

The first summit, held in Februrary 2020, featured 10 rapid-fire pitches. What followed surprised even school leadership. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the top five ideas — including a Retail and Consumer Science Lab, a Fashion Production Studio, and a Marriage and Family Therapy master's program — were all funded and launched. These initiatives contributed to a massive surge in enrollment, growing from 565 students in 2021 to 1,008 majors by late 2025, while attracting $8 million in philanthropic giving.

"This truly changed the direction of the Norton School," Scaramella said, reflecting on the transformational impact of that inaugural summit. 

The Big Ideas Summit has since become more than a pitch session. It's a reminder that the school's future isn't handed down, it's built from within. 

The Pitches

Norton School Mentorship Program

Presented by Liz Collins, this initiative would create a formal database to connect students with alumni and local professionals for job shadowing and mentorship.

"One small connection can change a student's entire trajectory, and it really opens them up to what they like and dislike, and seeing what the professional world is really like," said Collins.

Community-Engaged Learning Experiences for Student Success

The proposal, presented by Kate Speirs and Melissa Barnett focused on providing paid internships for Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) students, particularly in nonprofits and government agencies that often lack resources to pay interns.

"Because that way, all students, including those who need to work while they're in college, have access to this experiential learning advantage," said Speirs "A paid community-based internship program is a win-win for students and for the community."

Student-Managed Investment Fund

Thomas Korankye proposed a fund where students would perform real investment analysis to help families maximize financial well-being, rather than focusing solely on corporate profit. 

"In a business school, the focus is on profit. Here at the Norton School, we want to help families to thrive," Korankye.

Retail Innovation Studio

Kathleen Kennedy pitched a two-semester experiential learning lab where students work with real retail brands on experiential marketing projects. 

Kennedy pitched the studio as a first-of-its-kind academic program that prepares students for the future of retail through high-level client work. Students will "be able to leave here with true professional experience, not internships, but real client work," Kennedy said. 

Arizona Financial Literacy & Education Collaborative

Korankye returned for a second pitch, outlining a platform to unify various financial literacy entities across Arizona with the goal of sharing research, brainstorming on new projects, and ending the "isolation" between academic and community practitioners. 

"We cannot do anything if we keep working in isolation," said Korankye. 

The Money, Mind, and Meaning Lab

Noel Wilkinson introduced a "content creation engine" where student fellows combine research with lived experiences to produce public-facing digital media, such as podcasts and videos, focused on the human side of money.

"We're teaching the students through this project to have and own their voice. That what they have experienced matters in the space of financial well-being," Wilkinson said.

Kind Cats: A Student-Driven, Research-Based Approach to Increasing Prosocial Behavior on Campus and in the Community

Jeannette Maré and Ryan Daily proposed expanding the "KindCats" model campus-wide, training nearly 500 student leaders to foster belonging and reduce loneliness through science-based kindness. 

"The heart of this work is belonging," said Maré. 

Family Wellness Center

Darin Knapp proposed an interdisciplinary, student-run clinic at the Campus Agricultural Center. The clinic would provide mental health, nutrition, and financial counseling to the Tucson community on a sliding scale. 

"Imagine this, a clinic where all of the providers are students who are trained in individual therapy for mental health, relationship counseling, nutrition and dietetics counseling," Knapp said. "Providing opportunities for students to serve the community in an interdisciplinary context while reducing barriers to families who are seeking well-being services."

The Living Commons

Kennedy returned for a second pitch to close the night, outlining how the school could transform unused gravel lots around the building into vibrant outdoor teaching spaces, event areas, and community gardens that reflect the region's heritage. 

"This could be a place for relaxation, an outdoor kitchen, something that we can use for nutritional science, wellness," Kennedy said. "It transforms the space into a place for people to go, to meet, to gather, to talk. A place to belong, and perhaps even to come together for an event."

Voted Top

Following a vote by attendees, the top three "Big Ideas" were announced:

First Place | Darin Knapp – Family Wellness Clinic
Second Place | Kathleen Kennedy – The Living Commons
Third Place | Kathleen Kennedy – Retail Innovation Studio