My initial instinct was to criticize this. I think that's some combination of feeling like hackathons are often a coarse method of exploitation and the feeling that this kind of boosterism may be overstated or unnecessary.
But the truth of the matter IMO is that this deserved to be recognized and celebrated. It's really exciting to see environments that expose people to the joy of making things and the realities of making things happen. This kind of culture was foreign at the major liberal arts universities I saw when I was an undergrad 5-10 years ago, and I think it's a positive change. Congrats!
There's a big difference between corporate hackathons and collegiate hackathons, I think. The former are exploitative and weird; the latter are inspiring and awesome.
I 100% agree. Bringing someone who has never built something to their first hackathon completely introduces them to a whole new world of possibilities.
But the truth of the matter IMO is that this deserved to be recognized and celebrated. It's really exciting to see environments that expose people to the joy of making things and the realities of making things happen. This kind of culture was foreign at the major liberal arts universities I saw when I was an undergrad 5-10 years ago, and I think it's a positive change. Congrats!