Local higher-ed institutions highlight entrepreneurship

Both ends of the higher education spectrum in Washtenaw County are pushing for more entrepreneurs to start businesses here.The University of Michigan’s latest effort is a new website dedicated to tracking the university’s efforts to spin out more new economy businesses. Washtenaw Community College is also hyping its new Business Resource Center as way to help wanna-be-their-own-bosses chase after their dreams.U-M’s Innovation Economy website showcases work underway between prized university research and turning it into job-creating commercial businesses. The website does everything from catalog news reports on these businesses to showing off how many companies were annually spun-off (13 last year).”The website is a way to draw the spotlight to some of the activity that is already underway,” says David Lampe, vice president for communications for the University of Michigan.Washtenaw Community College is launching its Business Resource Center from its Bailey Library. There it hopes to help actual and aspiring business owners find information and harness other resources to get their business going. For information, click here or call (734) 973-3429.Source: David Lampe, vice president for communications for the University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke