Priorities:University of Michigan Student Priorities
Contents
Overview
The University of Michigan entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem is filled with opportunities. The opportunities range all over the entrepreneurship and innovation spectrum and cover all stages of the entrepreneurial process. The University of Michigan has many things to offer including classes, hackathons, and design teams. The city of Ann Arbor has much to offer as well, such as: accelerators and tech transfers.
Increase in entrepreneurship and startups are a main goal of the state of Michigan due to its struggle throughout the past years with the recession and the decline of the auto industry. With our state fighting to make a comeback, the students of the University of Michigan have joined this fight. We are taking on our role as "Victors" for Michigan and diving into the entrepreneurship and innovation scene.
Strategy #1: Starting Young
Tactic #1: Taking Engineering 100 to the Next Level
Description: For all freshman engineering students, there are two required courses. One of these courses is a design course called Engineering 100. In this course, there are several categories/ options that a student could sign up for. The categories include Design in the Real World, Harnessing the Wind, and Gaming for the Greater Good. In each of these semester-long courses, students have their first taste of the design process and all it encompasses. What these courses fail to offer is assistance to the students to take their designs beyond the course. When the semester ends and a final presentation is given, students have very little support to take their great ideas and work onward. It is the Leadership Circle's goal to create a bridge to support the continuation of these projects. Resources varying from funding to legal support will be offered so that the students can continue on.
Tactic #2: Student Orientation Entrepreneurship and Innovation Project
Description: All freshman are required to go to Orientation at some point in the summertime, before they start attending the University of Michigan. At this Orientation, students have long days of being lectured to, touring the campus, and taking placement tests. To be able to spark their interest immediately and expose them to entrepreneurship, an I & E project will be created for them to complete during their time at Orientation. An idea for a project that could be shorter, but still allow for solid exposure, would be a 1-2 hour problem-solving and consulting project. A local company will present a problem they are having and the students will get to work solving that problem. They will use low-resource prototyping and basic technical skills to solve the problem. They will then pitch their final solution. This could be a freshman's first experience with pitching and real-world problem solving. With this project, students will be exposed to the resources on campus and learn what is available to them throughout their time at U of M.
Tactic #3: An Increase in Design/Entrepreneurship Classes Offered to Freshman and Sophomores
Description: The University of Michigan has a Program in Entrepreneurship offered to undergraduates and graduates. To be eligible for this program though, students must be sophomores or above. Many other design courses are higher-level courses, which are harder for freshman and sophomores to access. By the time students are exposed to entrepreneurship, they do not have enought time or room in their schedules to explore what branch of entrepreneurship they are interested in. The goal would then be to create more freshman and sophomore-accessible courses that allow for design, business planning, and other key skills to help with I & E projects.
Strategy #2: A Continuous Flow of I & E, Moving Away from the Event-to-Event Mentality
Tactic #1: Web/App Version of an Idea Book
Description: Many innovators carry around a notebook to jot down notes on ideas and observations of the world. Many of these ideas never see the light of day due to lack of motivation or confidence by the person with the idea. The goal is to create a website and mobile app where your ideas can be recorded when they pop into your mind. It will be easy to use and accessible. You can decide to share an idea publicly or keep it private. If it is shared publicly, you can have input from fellow University of Michigan students.
Tactic #2: Resource Match-Maker
Description: There are many students with ideas or projects that are already in progress, but are at a standstill due to lack of skills. The search for these skills can be challenging and it is hard to find someone to add to your team who is as motivated and interested as you are. With the Resource Match-Maker, the skills you need will be posted to the Resource Match-Maker website. People will be able to browse the projects people are working on and the skills they are looking for in order to find a project that matches their need. It will act as a match-making system, connecting innovators to the technical, artistic, business, etc. skillset they are looking for.
Tactic #3: For Those Who Didn't Make the Cut...
Description: There are many events on campus including MHacks, Startup Weekend Ann Arbor, and 1000 Pitches. With these events, there is an outpouring of fantastic ideas, but in the end only the best move on. To keep the hype going, the goal is to keep the "losing" teams motivated and help them make their project a reality. Resources of all kinds will be provided.
Strategy #3: Augmenting Resource Accessibility Throughout the University
Tactic #1: Makerspace Passports
Description: stuff
Tactic #2:
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Tactic #3:
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Strategy #4: networking meeting spaces
Tactic #1: Taking Engineering 100 to the Next Level
Description: stuff
Tactic #2: Student Orientation Entrepreneurship and Innovation Project
Description: stuff
Tactic #3: An Increase in Design/Entrepreneurship Classes Offered to Freshman and Sophomores
Description: stuff