This morning I attended a session entitled “Educated Development: How Higher Education is Advancing Communities.” The session was part of the Crain’s Detroit “Power Breakfast” series, and it took place at the Book Cadillac Hotel in downtown Detroit. The event featured a panel with the University Research Corridor (URC) presidents: Santa Ono of University of Michigan, Kevin Guskiewicz of Michigan State University, and Kimberly Andrews Espy of Wayne State University. The discussion topic was how these universities are driving economic development and improving the quality of life in the region. This topic sits squarely in the focus and mission of the Urban Entrepreneurship Initiative. In fact, almost exactly ten years ago, UEI hosted a panel discussion featuring leaders of these same three universities plus the president of University of Detroit Mercy. We have provided the recording of that event below, because it is often enlightening to compare our current views with our past views and plans. In this case, I think the comparison is favorable.
All three universities represented at this morning’s session have increased their presence in Detroit over the past ten years, and all three have ambitious plans for the future. The most high profile of these is the University of Michigan Center for Innovation, for which ground was broken last year. All three presidents are relatively new in their job, so I sense that they are still working to establish their Detroit community connections. Santa Ono has been on the job at Michigan for two years. Kimberly Andrews Espy of Wayne State is coming up on her first anniversary. Kevin Guskiewicz of MSU has been on the job for less than five months.
All three presidents seem energetic and engaging, and all three seem committed to spending the time and resources that will be required to create significant positive impact in the Detroit community. The challenge, as always, will be to ensure that these universities match their considerable intellectual power and resources to the most pressing needs in the community. I expressed to the presidents that UEI is committed to their success. With our UEI 2.0 launch, we are building an infrastructure for urban innovation and entrepreneurship that will be a valuable resource for the URC community.
Going Back in Time: October 2015
Check out the panel discussion among leaders from U-M, MSU, Wayne State, and U of D Mercy. This panel was part of the UEI Detroit Symposium that took place in 2015 at the Argonaut Building. How good were these leaders at predicting their future activities in Detroit?