October 2026 Newsletter
BBA Impact Day
Fri, Nov 6 @ 2:30-5:30 pm
R2310, Ross School of Business
We’re bringing Ross BBAs interested in impact together to learn about opportunities available to them at Ross, to build community, and to identify their own impact goals. Inform B+I’s future development of signature undergraduate impact experiences, and activate the power of business for impact through play. This event is hosted by Business+Impact, featuring guests from Erb Institute and Net Impact.
Announcing Business+Impact’s 26-27 Golub Capital Board Fellows
During the 2026-27 academic year, participants in Business+Impact’s Golub Capital Board Fellows Program will serve as non-voting members of local nonprofit boards while completing strategic projects. This year’s cohort features 45 nonprofits and 83 students affiliated with 10 schools across campus.
SPOTLIGHT
Shailesh Kumar (MBA ’01)
Shailesh Kumar (MBA ’01) works with leadership teams on complex strategy and operations challenges that directly impact revenue, margins, and operational performance. He began his career in management consulting at Kearney and has since held senior operating and finance leadership roles across manufacturing and advisory businesses. Shailesh serves on the Board of Directors of Washtenaw Literacy, a nonprofit providing free adult literacy, ESL, and GED tutoring across Washtenaw County.
Podcast: Designing Work for Humans
In this episode of Social Impact Design for Business, Jerry Davis, Faculty Director of the Impact Studio, interviews Dart Lindsley, CEO and Co-founder of 11fold and host of the podcast, Work for Humans. In this interview, Dart turns Human Resources on its head, saying that employees would be better served if they weren’t seen as resources or assets, but as customers of the companies for which they work.
MBA2 Gordon Impact Scholarship Application Open
Application due: Wed, Oct. 21 @ 11:59 pm
Are you an MBA2 committed to impact? This year the Skip and Carrie Gordon Scholarship Fund will award two $7,500 scholarships to MBA2s who demonstrate a dedication to impact. Applications are open now, and winners will be announced in November.
Meet the Impact Studio’s Fall 2026 Cohort
Every semester, the Impact Studio accepts a new cohort of the brightest and best entrepreneurs at the University of Michigan, all focused on one specific goal: Building a better world. This fall, we are excited to announce our latest group of Founders and Fellows, bringing fresh ideas to the market.
BONUS ARTICLE: Sophia Savas of Cranbrook Partners & Co. Shares what the IS Consulting Fellowship Means to Her
DNEP Receives U-M Strategic Initiative Fund Grant
The Strategic Initiative Fund (SIF) is an investment in mission and vision-aligned initiatives demonstrating a commitment to our future and in service to the University of Michigan community and to the public. Funded by the SIF, DNEP’s Detroit Small Business Innovation & Learning Hub will set up Detroit small businesses with the digital tools they need to run smarter, while giving University of Michigan students real experience building and deploying technology that matters.
Events at Ross:
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| B+T: Customer Validation Tues, Oct 13 @ 5:30-7:30 pm Tauber Colloquium Lobby |
Ross: First Generation Dinner Wed, Nov. 4 @ 5:30-7 pm Location TBA |
Map Your U-M Journey with the Impact Roadmap and Sustainability Navigator
The Business+Impact Impact Roadmap (UMImpactRoadmap.com) provides you with a single location for all social impact on the U-M campus.
The Sustainability Navigator (UMSustainabilityNavigator.com) helps you identify sustainability resources across the University of Michigan so you can chart your personalized roadmap to a more sustainable future.
At the University:
NET IMPACT AT ROSS
Net Impact Summit 2026
Fri, Oct. 30 @ 9:30 am – 4 pm
Blau Colloquium, Ross School of Business
Build a career that matters. Net Impact at Ross 2026 Summit features keynotes, panels, and networking with leaders in impact investing, philanthropy, sustainability, and nonprofits. Meet alumni, find mentors, and enjoy free breakfast and lunch. Open to all students. Co-sponsored by Business+Impact. Limited spots—register now.
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
Social Work Events
Flourishing in Action: The Politics of Social Justice – Oct. 15
Master of Arts in Social Impact Leadership Virtual Info Session – Nov. 9
Explore the latest events from the University of Michigan School of Social Work. Learn about research impact, outreach and advocacy, and highlights from our community.
FORD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY
Policy Talks
American Diplomacy in a Divided Era: A Conversation with Jeff Flake – Nov. 16
The Ford School hosts a diverse array of timely, meaningful events that engage our students, community, and public policy leaders.
POVERTY SOLUTIONS
Poverty Solutions Speaker Series
Below is the speaker lineup for Fall 2026. Talks are Fridays at noon at the U-M School of Social Work room B780 unless otherwise noted.
CEW+
CEW+ Inspire Awards
Nominate changemakers for CEW+ Inspire Awards honoring Carol Hollenshead, Sarah Goddard Power, and Rhetaugh G. Dumas. Three $1,000 awards recognize equity, human rights, and mentorship at U‑M and beyond. There is one application with broad eligibility.
DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY
Reimagining Work as a Product Designed for Workers
Thurs, Oct. 29 @ 4-7:30 pm
Rackham Graduate School Assembly Hall
Early management theorists committed a category error when they classified employees as inputs to production: assets, resources, human capital. Dart argues that error haunts work today and offers a reframe. Employees are customers.
MICHIGAN RESEARCH
Michigan Community Impact Grant Program
The Michigan Community Impact Grant Program is a new pilot initiative designed to connect University of Michigan expertise with communities across the state to address locally identified challenges. Create projects where the community defines the problem and U-M helps craft a practical, locally relevant solution.
CEW+
CEW+ International Travel Fellowship Panel
Tues, Nov. 17 @ 5:30-7:30 pm
1680 SPH I, School of Public Health
Please join us for a panel discussion featuring CEW+ Fellowship recipients discussing their research experiences abroad in Brazil, Kenya, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, South Korea, Bangladesh, and Nepal. There will be time for questions from the audience after the panel, as well as socializing and a light dinner. Families are welcome.
MICHIGAN ONLINE
Climate Solutions Courses Now Open
Climate change, development, and protecting nature are all connected. “Climate Solutions” traces that connection across three courses: from protecting biodiversity while supporting the people who live closest to it, to helping vulnerable communities adapt, to the strategies driving innovative climate action.
In the Impact Community:
Friends in Deed Job Opportunity
The Development Intern will support Friends In Deed’s community engagement and fundraising efforts by leading the planning and implementation of a month-long Bed & Crib Drive culminating on Giving Tuesday, helping expand support for children and families in Washtenaw County who lack safe sleeping arrangements.
Give Merit’s Fate Program
Give Merit’s FATE Program has operated with students from Detroit’s Jalen Rose Leadership Academy since 2012. This four-year, cohort-based program provides innovative programming that blends project-based learning, character development, career exposure, and mentorship into a co-curricular experience that emphasizes the value of education.
Nucleate Gateway Activator
Participants gain access to our network of 3000+ industry leaders and partners across biotech, pharma, and VC. To date, Activator alumni have launched over 300 companies, raised $650M, and are transforming human and planetary health with biology. Don’t wait – Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis from mid September to late October.
Michigan Pre-College and Youth Outreach Conference
Thurs, Oct. 22 @ 8 am – 5:30 pm
Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
The Steering Committee for the 18th Annual Michigan Pre-College and Youth Outreach Conference is happy to host you for this year’s conference. We are planning a variety of presentation formats and workshops, along with some wonderful invited guests, including a free Thursday night networking dinner the evening before the conference.
Tiger Launch
Pitch your startup on an international stage. Gain mentorship from top VCs. Win $60,000 prize, no strings attached. Student-founders, are you ready to launch?
Rally Accelerator 2026
Each year, Rally selects early-stage entrepreneurs who are tackling critical challenges in housing, health, education, the environment, and more. Our 16-week accelerator equips them with mentorship, customized curriculum, peer support, and pilot opportunities in Central Florida.