Photo Credit: Brett Mountain/Crain’s Detroit Business
On July 25, education leaders from the University Research Corridor gathered for Crain’s Detroit Business’ Power Breakfast to discuss higher education and how they are maximizing opportunities for Michigan’s three largest universities to drive economic development in Detroit and throughout the state. Panelists included Wayne State University President Kimberly Andrews Espy, Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz, and University of Michigan (U-M) President Santa J. Ono.
All three leaders noted that they are increasing their own research collaboration and teaming up with business, nonprofits, and the public sector to strengthen talent attraction and retention and new business.
Frequently throughout the discussion hosted by Crain’s, connections to the Chamber’s robust work in the education and talent space were made, including references to data from the State of Education and Talent report and findings from the Chamber’s Michigan Voter Polls.
University of Michigan’s Ono touched on the Innovate Michigan collaboration between U-M and the Chamber, noting that the collaboration is a “recognition of the volume and amount of resource that [U-M] is investing in the city of Detroit.” Innovate Michigan, which was announced at the 2024 Mackinac Policy Conference, leverages both institutions’ strengths, and the Chamber and U-M will pool their resources and convene other organizations to develop an Ann Arbor-to-Detroit innovation corridor.
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