Nonprofit Board Fellowship Info Session and Application
Business+Impact’s Nonprofit Board Fellowship Program develops cross-sector leadership skills by placing graduate students as non-voting members on boards at Southeast Michigan nonprofits. An application for the program is available on our website, and is due Fri, Sept. 10 at noon.
You must attend the info session below in order to apply to participate in the program for 2021-22:
BF Info Session
Fri. Sept 3 @ 11 am
Ross School of Business
Location B1570 Blau Hall
If you are unable to attend due to an academic or religious conflict, please email us to schedule an alternate time.
Meet with 30+ U-M Impact Groups at the B+I Showcase
Tues, Sept. 14 @ 11 am – 1 pm
Ross School of Business
Sixth Floor, Tauber Colloquium
Welcome new and returning students! We hope your summer was empowering and invigorating, because we have a lot of opportunities coming up for you. As part of our mission to make students aware of impact opportunities across campus, we welcome all students to our fourth annual Business+Impact Showcase on Tues, Sept. 14 from 11 am – 1pm at Ross’s sixth floor Tauber Colloquium. Students will have a chance to meet with over 30 organizations and map out their U-M impact journeys.
+Impact Studio Summer Programs Conclude
The +Impact Studio brings impactful ideas to life using business knowledge, design tools, and research expertise. This summer nearly 30 students worked with the studio to solve complex societal challenges for the globe and right here in Detroit. Learn about the exciting ventures students are leading and hear stories from the summer Founders Program and Applebaum Impact Design Fellowship and the +Impact Studio for Local Business‘ work on fintech in Detroit on our Medium page. Look for more student stories and highlights from the summer in our September newsletter!
B+I Welcomes Jerry Davis as Faculty Director of Business+Impact!
Business+Impact is thrilled to announce Dr. Jerry Davis as its first Faculty Director of Business+Impact! In this new role Jerry will also lead our +Impact Studio, including teaching the +Impact Studio graduate course.
We also express our deep gratitude and warm wishes to inaugural +Impact Studio Faculty Director Dr. Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks, who was pivotal in the development and launch of the +Impact Studio course, space, and community. We thank Jeffrey, will miss him, and we wish him well!
Seeking Impact Gateway Student Employee
Business+Impact is looking for a student employee to research and add content to our Impact Gateway, with prime focus on the calendar and course listings. The paid position of 15 hrs/wk involves work in WordPress and Google spreadsheets. Training will be provided. Experience with WordPress and Adobe Photoshop and basic html knowledge are desired.
More Info
MBA2 Gordon Impact Scholarship Application Due in September
Application due: 11:59 pm, Sun, Sept. 26
Are you an MBA2 committed to addressing complex social challenges? This year the Skip and Carrie Gordon Scholarship Fund will award three scholarships to MBA2s who demonstrate a dedication to impact. Be prepared to apply for a scholarship starting in early September, when the application comes out.
Claire Babilonia (MBA ’21), Tieranny Baker (MBA ’21) and Kevin Finnegan (MBA ’21) were each chosen to receive $5000 Gordon Scholarships in 2020-21.
Watch for the application link in early September.
Ross Events:
Ross: Forte Women’s MBA Forum
Thurs, Aug.19 @ 5 pm ET
Online
BBSA: Ask Me Anything: Black Business Student Association
Mon, Aug. 30 @ 7 pm ET
Online
Impact News & Notes
Bentley gift bolsters MPP internships
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed joins the Ford School faculty as Towsley Policymaker in Residence
John Ciorciari: Preventing Cambodia’s Genocidal Past from Becoming Afghanistan’s Future
Here are 8 easy ways to save money by going green
Connecting generations, U-M students fight loneliness, establish strong ties
P-20 initiative grows with new teaching residents, early childhood center
Trina Shanks on how to improve family well-being in Detroit
Are your dating preferences racist?
Help Your Employees Who Are Anxious About Returning to the Office
The Power of Human Connection ‘
We have so much to explain’ MIDAS joins Microsoft, city of Detroit to enhance digital inclusion
Research seed grants available to advance anti-racism scholarship
Earl Lewis Gives Lecture on Reparations
Alford Young, Jr., Interviewed on Future of Work
Scholar Earl Lewis on the Floyd murder and reparations
Equity vs. Equality: What’s the Difference? Here’s How Experts Explain It
Why Black Women Are Saying No
SOCIAL ENTERPRISE SPOTLIGHT
MBC Seigle Impact Track Finalist Partners with Google to Help Families Find Food Assistance
Earlier this year Business+Impact introduced a new series on U-M alumni who have created social enterprises and continue the work of entrepreneurship after graduation. Our inaugural spotlight was about Thawra; now we focus our spotlight on FoodFinder, a tech platform making it easier for families in need to find nearby food assistance programs.
In early 2018, Jack Griffin (BBA ’19) was a finalist in the Michigan Business Challenge – Seigle Impact Track, with his phone app, FoodFinder, and won first place in the Elevator Pitch competition. At that time he said, “The heart of FoodFinder’s value comes from our platform’s ability to combine the speed and privacy of an online tool with the care, compassion, and reliability of a human.” At the time, he hoped that eventually, FoodfFinder would become an institution within the food assistance space.
That has come to fruition, as recently Google’s Find Food Support engaged FoodFinder as a key partner in their work. We caught up with Jack as he increases staff and scope with his “venture-on-the-run.”

A Searchable Platform for All Things Impact at Ross and Across Campus
The Business+Impact Gateway provides you with a single location for all things impact. Here you’ll find all of the activities, people and key partners working to use their learning to make a real impact in the world.
At the University:
OFFICE FOR HEALTH EQUITY AND INCLUSION

Continuing the Conversation: Healing Circles
Thurs, Aug. 19 @ 11:30 am
Online
As a follow up to the community conversation called: Starting the Conversation: The Intersection of Anti-Black Racism & Anti-Asian Hate, OHEI will be holding Healing Circles to further connect, learn & share with each other.
More Info
NATIONAL CENTER FOR INSTITUTIONAL DIVERSITY
Promoting Racial Equity in Student Mental Health
Thurs, Aug. 19 @ 3-4:30 pm ET
Online
Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the unique racial traumas that undergraduate and graduate students of color may face in and outside of their classrooms. In addition, this session offers practical and culturally sensitive recommendations regarding how instructors can foster mental well-being for students of color in their courses. Welcome and framing remarks by Tabbye Chavous, Director of the National Center for Institutional Diversity with panelist from various colleges.
More Info
RACKHAM GRADUATE SCHOOL
DEI Professional Development Certificate Information Session
Thurs, Sept. 2 @ 10 am ET
Online
Attend this introduction session to learn about the requirements of the program and discover how this certificate can prepare you to enter a diverse and global job market. Find out more about the program on our DEI Certificate page. This workshop is designed for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
Register here
OUT IN STEM
Pride Outside 2021
Sun, Sept. 5 @ 2-4:30 pm
Palmer Field
Come one, come all! Out in STEM, Spectrum Center, Central Student Government, and the College of Engineering are extremely PROUD to host Pride Outside 2021! Join us for music, free food and “Michigan Pride” t-shirts, a drag show, lawn games and tons of cool LGBTQ+ and affirming student organizations and local groups!
More Info
In the Impact Community:
Second Annual Workplace Mental Health Conference
Wed, Aug. 18 @ 1:15 – 6 pm
Online
Ann Arbor Spark presents the second annual Workplace Mental Health Conference in association with tje Eisenberg Family Depression Center’s Workplace Mental Health Solutions team and the Center for Occupational Health and Safety Engineering. The event will bring together key stakeholders to discuss strategies to improve employee mental health. Topics will include transforming company culture, innovations in workplace mental health, case studies, and special presentations on millennials and compassion in the workplace. Facilitated networking sessions will be offered following the main conference.
More Info
Paragon One/Nat Geo Externships
Application Due:
Aug. 20
Paragon One has designed a flexible, part-time, 8-week remote externship in partnership with National Geographic and the Nature Conservancy, and is now inviting applications from students. This remote learning opportunity is open to candidates aged 18-25 from around the globe, involves 10 hours/week for 8 weeks, and offers a $500 stipend.
African World Festival
Aug. 20 – 21
The Wright, Detroit, MI
2021 marks our 38th annual African World Festival! Each year, over 100,000 visitors journey to the grounds of The Wright for food, fashion, music and dance performances, workshops, and more! AWF will also feature over 125 vendors of authentic African and Caribbean foods, clothes, accessories, health products, and other goods.
More Info
Building a Regenerative Economy: How Green Swans Can Achieve Impact at Scale
Tues, Aug. 31 @ 12:30 pm ET
Online
Join Net Impact for conversation, connection, and practice about how we can create regenerative shifts. In a world thick with challenges, the possibility of a regenerative economy — one that recognizes that people, planetary resources, and systems are interdependent – is reason for optimism. In particular, “Green Swans” — innovations that deliver exponential progress in the form of economic, social, and environmental wealth creation will be one focus of this initial conversation.
All images in this newsletter are Pre-COVID.