Coverage of programs that deal with gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, physical ability, and socioeconomic status; are focused on fair access to resources and opportunities; and those that create environments where people feel welcome, respected, and fully accepted.
Continuing our series of new college grads giving their post-grad outlooks, EMU alumna Amanda Taylor, who chose to remain rooted in Ann Arbor for her graduate psychology studies, writes on the area's educational and socioeconomic diversity.
International enrollment at U.S. universities and colleges grew six percent last year, with nearly a quarter of that came from China. The University Of Michigan is part of a trend that shows Chinese students being admitted to large, public land-grant universities in the Midwest. Excerpt: "Of the 25 campuses with the most international students, a dozen have increased international enrollment more than 40 percent in just five years, according to data collected by the Institute of International Education. All but one are public, and a striking number come from the Big Ten: Indiana, Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State and the Universities of Minnesota and Illinois. Indiana's international enrollment now surpasses 6,000, or about 15 percent of the student body, and in Illinois, the flagship Urbana-Champaign campus has nearly 9,000 - second nationally only to the University of Southern California." Read the rest here.
My, oh my. The world gets smaller every year. Not only is the University of Michigan ranked No. 8 in terms of international student enrollment (6,382 in 2011-12), it also ranks No. 16 in the study abroad category for the second year in a row. Excerpt: "The rankings were in the Open Doors report by the Institute of International Education. The New York-based nonprofit group said enrollment of international students in 2011-12 grew to a record-breaking 764,495 nationwide — a 5.7 percent increase from the year before. The annual report released this week has consistently ranked U-M as one of the most sought-after destinations for international students who want to study at a leading American university." Read the rest here.
Tiffany Huang hasn't spent a lot of time in the professional workforce, but she's been there long enough to know she would prefer to be her own boss.The University of Michigan Ross School of Business student spent a few months working at a major Metro Detroit-based automotive supplier last summer, and didn't like being a small fish in a big pond with no real decision-making ability. That inspired her to pursue her own start-up with some classmates from U-M this year: SPECIALIZE DESIGNS."It was so large I felt I had no say in what was being done," Huang, queen of operations for SPECIALIZE DESIGNS, says of her previous experience. "I wanted to have a say in something smaller."SPECIALIZE DESIGNS is that something smaller. The TechArb-based start-up (founded by Huang and Shaili Dasi) creates toys that can be used by both blind and sighted children. Its first toy is a cross between Simon and Bop It, is shaped like a plate, and requires its users to pay attention to noise and vibrations.Huang and Dasi (along with another U-M student who is no longer with the company) have noticed how the blind community is becoming more integrated with mainstream society. They hope this toy will help further integrate both. "We want to create a solution to bring children together in schools," Huang says.The partners are still working on the prototype and are planning to shop the concept around at toymaker trade shows this summer. Huang expects to bring the toy to market within the next year, with its main customer being schools. Source: Tiffany Huang, queen of operations for SPECIALIZE DESIGNSWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
Whether it's in a research lab or restaurant kitchen, the ability to perfectly mix ingredients is vital for success. Dr. Mahaveer Swaroop Bhojani has got both domains down but until now has only made a career of one. Last week, however, the U-M researcher opened A2's very first Chaat House. Don't know what that is? Read on.
If experience is the best teacher, then it can also serve as a decent business model. That's how Rangarajan Tirumala's second business, Rolling Edge, got started.The techie and partner at InfoSoft hung on when the company recently went through a number of ups and downs thanks to the local and national economies. He and his partners steadied the tech firm, putting it on a profitable footing once again. Now Tirumala is turning that experience into a business consultancy based in downtown Ann Arbor.Rolling Edge provides software applications that help a business get its basics back under control. That includes work flow, supply chain management, and price analysis and simulation. The 5-year-old company's team of about half a dozen people also advises companies about when they should outsource and how to do it properly and within cost limits."I wanted to build a model that instills stability in an organization," Tirumala says. Rolling Edge focuses on small-to-medium-sized businesses and is based in Ann Arbor to avail itself to the area's vibrant ecosystem of tech firms. Tirumala is shooting for his company to hit $2 million in revenue within the next year and to add a few more people to his team in that time. He is looking for experienced candidates who have been through the ups and downs of the economy."If they have seen the ups and downs then they will bring an ocean of experience," Tirumala says.Source: Rangarajan Tirumala, owner & founder of Rolling EdgeWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
From an engineering job with Ford to a serial entrepreneur in the process of launching his fourth company, Bhushan Kulkarni epitomizes the immigrant success story. A passionate booster for his community, family, and the state's economic future, Kulkarni chats with Concentrate about the challenges of start-up culture and the need for more mentorship.
What's the view at the bottom of Michigan's entrepreneurial food chain? More diversity, less money. Case in point, Ypsilanti-based Denovo Sciences. Its young partners are full of passion, creativity and a desire to "make change in human lives". What they could use is some seed capital for their life science innovations.
Confucius once said: "Knowledge is recognizing what you know and what you don't." With nearly 300 centers around the world, the Confucius Institute brings Chinese art and culture to global audiences, while acting as a platform for diplomacy. U-M is home to one of Michigan's four institutes, providing Ann Arborites with a dynamic range of programming.
With nearly 20% of Ann Arbor's population speaking a foreign first language, the city's diversity is clearly rooted in immigration, international students, and global business development. So, how do we engage these strangers in a strange land? Enter SPARK's Cultural Ambassador program, an effort by local business leaders to attract and retain foreign-born talent.
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