Clients + students · one matching engine
Submit a project. Submit your résumé. We match both.
The Catalyst at Belhaven connects prospective clients who need scoped work with Belhaven students who need paid, career-building experience. Clients get faculty-supervised delivery. Students get living-wage project work and a portfolio they can show employers.
The Venture Engine
A short film for clients, partners, and student recruits. It shows how Catalyst turns regional problems into products, paid student work, and public benefit.
4A flywheel and 7P pipeline
The same mechanics shown in the overview—drawn here so clients and students can see the path before they submit.
4A flywheel · 90-day sprints
Analyze root causes with research, data, and the people closest to the problem.
Create MVPs and testable artifacts—software, product, or process.
Apply the work with partners, faculty, and the student team who will ship it.
Evaluate market fit, learning outcomes, and whether the next sprint is warranted.
What students and clients get
Clients get a supervised team and a defined sprint. Students get paid hours, credentials, and a portfolio of shipped work—not unpaid busywork.
- Living wage: $20/hour as professional student contractors
- Stackable credentials: pathways toward AWS, CompTIA, PMP, CISSP, and similar
- Verifiable portfolio: GitHub, product, or clinical (de-identified) artifacts
- Faculty + partner oversight on every Catalyst engagement
7P pipeline · problem to public benefit
Built on proven university models
Catalyst is being built from the UMRF Ventures student-employment model at the University of Memphis, and it uses the same kinds of experiential modes you will find on Riipen—then pays Belhaven students a living wage to do the work.
Model we are building on
UMRF Ventures
A student-staffed company at the University of Memphis: paid students deliver real services to corporate partners, on a schedule that fits class, and create a hiring pipeline after graduation.
- Paid employment: typically 10–20 hours/week at competitive wages
- Service modes: IT help desk, cybersecurity, identity access management, compliance & governance, temporary IT staffing
- Custom modes: web development, automation, and tailored partner work
- Partner benefit: cost-effective delivery plus a talent pipeline
Modes we also use
Riipen
A project-based learning platform that matches educators, employers, and learners on real industry work. Catalyst uses these modes of engagement—then staffs them with paid Belhaven students.
- Workforce development: career-advancing projects with real employers
- Work-based learning: classroom skills applied to employer-designed projects
- Project-based internships: defined deliverables inside a course or program
- Three seats: colleges, organizations, and learners collaborating on one brief
How Catalyst runs it
Catalyst modes
Same idea as those models: clients bring work, students do the work, the university supervises. The difference is a living wage and a dual-track venture engine.
- Client project mode: submit a scoped project; we match a student team
- Paid student mode: submit résumé and availability; $20/hour Catalyst work
- Course / capstone mode: Riipen-style credit projects when a class is the right fit
- Track A / Track B: healthcare AI research pilots or commercial sandboxes
Who this is for — and what you get
Choose the path that fits you. Both sides complete a short intake so we can make a real match.
Prospective clients
Bring a real problem—research, product, data, operations, or a commercial sandbox. You get a student team with faculty oversight, defined deliverables, and capacity you do not have to hire full-time.
- Scoped delivery: outcomes, timeline, and success metrics you define
- Supervised talent: Belhaven students on a living-wage project model
- Fit for your risk: NDA, IP, and compliance intake before sensitive work
- Two tracks: Track A healthcare AI / research, or Track B venture sandboxes
Belhaven students
Share your résumé and when you can work. You get matched to sponsor projects that pay a living wage and produce Creation-level work for your portfolio—not unpaid busywork.
- $20/hour living wage on Catalyst-aligned project work
- Portfolio-ready deliverables at Bloom’s “Creation” level
- Real sponsors: community partners, industry, and Catalyst ventures
- We match on skills and availability—so tell us both
The dual‑track engine
Track A runs institutional research pilots. Track B runs commercial sandboxes that fund living‑wage student work.
Track A · Healthcare AI
Clinical Decision Support positioning, de‑identified datasets, RBAC, secure sandboxing, and encrypted imaging workflows.
Track B · Sterling Treats
Zero‑waste industrial symbiosis—upcycling brewer’s spent grain into premium canine wellness products with traceability.
Herbalyst · Tea companion app
A one‑stop‑shop for tea lovers—find tailored tea preferences, explore ingredients and recipes, and save favorites for later.
A one‑stop‑shop for tea lovers
Herbalyst helps users discover custom tea preferences for medicinal, recreational, or artisanal needs—powered by an AI chat experience and searchable ingredients/recipes.
What it does
- AI chat: tailored tea recommendations based on needs, mood, or health goals
- Search: ingredients and recipes with clear exploration pathways
- Save: store favorite recipes for later
- Learn: read about herbal tea benefits
- Shopping integrations: Instacart and Walmart links for purchasing ingredients
Amos-Wicks STEM AI Research Endowed Scholarship Fund
A permanently endowed scholarship supporting high-merit STEM students committed to ethical AI research—with awards designed as tuition coverage rather than fixed dollar amounts.
Investment & distribution model
The Belhaven University Finance Committee prudently invests the corpus to maximize student impact while protecting the gift in perpetuity.
- 2026–2027: one-year investment period for the initial endowment corpus
- From 2028: annual scholarship distributions begin
- 90% of annual earnings distributed to fund the scholarship
- 10% of annual earnings reinvested into the principal for continuous growth
Award structure
Rather than a fixed monetary award, distributions are designed to provide tuition coverage for:
- One Junior student enrolled in a STEM-related field
- One Senior student enrolled in a STEM-related field
Award amounts will reflect annual endowment earnings—not a predetermined dollar figure—so student support grows sustainably with the fund.
Eligibility & mission focus
The fund empowers high-merit students who demonstrate a commitment to ethical AI research, specifically targeting transformative impacts in:
- Cancer detection
- Chronic disease management
- Parkinson’s disease
Tuition coverage model
Earnings-based awards for one Junior and one Senior STEM student—no fixed dollar amounts.
Planning model · tuition coverage (not fixed awards)
Scholarship support scales with endowment earnings. The Finance Committee reports annual earnings; Catalyst and University Financial Aid apply the policy below—without publishing guaranteed dollar amounts on this site.
Distribution formula
- Annual earnings = investment return on the corpus for the fiscal year (as determined by the Finance Committee).
- Scholarship pool = 90% of annual earnings → applied as tuition coverage.
- Principal growth = 10% of annual earnings → reinvested into the endowment corpus.
- Two award slots per cycle: one Junior and one Senior in a STEM-related field.
- Tuition coverage cap: each awardee receives coverage up to their verified remaining tuition balance for the award year, with the combined payout capped at the scholarship pool for that year.
Slot allocation (when pool < combined tuition need)
If the scholarship pool fully covers both students’ remaining tuition, each slot receives full coverage. If the pool is smaller, awards are allocated proportionally by verified remaining tuition balance (Junior and Senior share the pool without exceeding either student’s need).
| Year | Phase | Corpus (start) | Earnings | To scholarships (90%) | To principal (10%) | Corpus (end) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Establishment · partial investment year (from May 27) | $10,000 | $292 | — | $292 | $10,292 |
| 2027 | Investment period · earnings reinvested (no distributions) | $10,292 | $515 | — | $515 | $10,807 |
| 2028 | First distribution year · 1 Junior + 1 Senior tuition coverage | $10,807 | $540 | $486 | $54 | $10,861 |
At the illustrative 5% return, the first-year scholarship pool (~$486) would fund partial or full tuition coverage for two STEM students depending on verified balances—not a predetermined award amount. See Healthcare Initiatives for the endowment overview tied to Track A healthcare AI.
Site pages
Clients start with a project. Students start with a résumé and availability. Everything else is context.
Venture Engine overview
Watch the film: problem-to-product, living-wage student work, and social surplus.
UMRF + Riipen modes
How Catalyst uses the Memphis Ventures model and Riipen-style project modes.
Healthcare Initiatives
Mississippi healthcare dashboard sources and Track A data posture.
Sterling Treats
Zero-waste canine wellness sandbox and shop links.
Project 62 Requirements
Operational, technical, lab, and portfolio standards.
How matching works
See how client projects and student résumés are reviewed and paired.
Submit résumé & availability
Students: add your profile, skills, and weekly hours so we can match you.
Submit a project
Clients: describe the work, outcomes, and skills you need from a student team.
CIS Weekly Job Listing
Weekly CIS job digest and notification hub.
Privacy Policy
Purpose-limited data practices and healthcare AI posture.
Contact Us
Address, phone, email, hours, and what to include.
Contact Form
Send a prefilled email inquiry to TheCatalyst@Belhaven.edu.