Developing and Sustaining a Student-Driven Software Solutions Center -- An Experience Report
Saheed Popoola, Vineela Kunapareddi, Hazem Said
TL;DR
The paper presents an experience-based blueprint for establishing and sustaining a university-affiliated, student-driven software solutions center (ITSC) at the University of Cincinnati. It details the center’s twelve-year evolution, governance, and operational practices across three pillars—student, project, and client management—illustrating how student ownership, mentor-guided development, iterative delivery, and fixed-cost contracts yield sustained industry engagement and meaningful learning. Through case examples, lessons learned, and growth/challenge analyses, the authors show that ITSC can deliver real-world software solutions for diverse clients while enabling research, faculty development, and student employability. The work offers practical guidance for computing programs aiming to implement similar centers and highlights opportunities for expansion into education, social-science domains, and broader collaborations.
Abstract
This paper presents an experience report on the establishment and sustenance of a student-driven software solutions center named Information Technology Solutions Center (ITSC), a unit within the School of Information Technology at the University of Cincinnati. A student-driven solution center empowers students to drive the design, development, execution, and maintenance of software solutions for industrial clients. This exposes the students to real-world projects and ensures that students are fully prepared to meet the demands of the ever-changing industrial landscape. The ITSC was established over a decade ago, has trained over 100 students, and executes about 20 projects annually with several industrial partners including Fortune 500 companies, government institutions, and research agencies. This paper discusses the establishment and maintenance of the center with the goal of motivating and providing a clear blueprint for computing programs that want to establish a similar student-driven software solutions center.