Community Partnerships

At Ross, corporate sponsors build rich, individual relationships with Ross based on the goals of both partners. The Ross Multidisciplinary Action Projects (MAP) course is one of the most intense, student-driven learning experience in business education. Teams of students tackle pressing business challenges for sponsor organizations – major corporations, startups, and nonprofits all over the world. And the U-M Business Engagement Center is your front door to all U-M partnership opportunities.

Resources for Local Businesses & Nonprofits

The Ross School of Business and partners around University of Michigan engage organizations in southeast Michigan to advance their strategic priorities and support the local small business and nonprofit community. Below are some featured resources from our partners around campus.

Capstone MAP

Small businesses, Nonprofits

Semester: Winter

Recruiting: Open September through end of October with Winter term engagements

Description: Undergraduate business course that tackles pressing business challenges and provides data driven recommendations.

Web: https://michiganross.umich.edu/programs/map/information-for-sponsors/capstone

Contact: ba453curriculumcoordinator@umich.edu

Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project (DNEP)

Small businesses, Detroit

Semester: Fall and Winter

Recruiting: Fall and Winter recruiting

Description: DNEP is dedicated to promoting sustainable economic and community development in Detroit by providing technical and strategic consulting services to neighborhood-based entrepreneurs and small businesses. Businesses normally work with a group of students for 3-12 months and DNEP selects about 25 businesses to work with each semester.

Web: http://financelawpolicy.umich.edu/detroit

Contact: DNEPdetroit@umich.edu

Entrepreneurship legal clinic

Small businesses, Nonprofits

Semester: Year round (including summer)

Recruiting: Rolling participation with return appointments welcome

Description: Michigan Law’s Entrepreneurship Clinic provides no-cost legal services to University of Michigan student-led startups as well as those from the local community. The clinic also offers weekly office hours where entrepreneurs can get quick answers to their legal questions.

Web: https://entrepreneurship.law.umich.edu/

Contact: Barbara Vibbert, bivibb@umich.edu

Free Accounting Fridays

Small businesses, Nonprofits

Semester: Year round (including summer)

Recruiting: Rolling participation with return appointments welcome

Description: Center for Finance, Law, and Policy and Business+Impact partner to provide free consultations to Detroit small business owners and entrepreneurs who receive personalized 1 on 1 accounting and finance guidance.

Web: http://umaccountinghelp.com/

Contact: accountinghelp@umich.edu

Ginsberg Center – Community Technical Assistance Center

Nonprofits

Semester: Fall and Winter

Recruiting: Fall term projects are sourced June-August, and Winter term projects are sourced June-December

Description: Community Technical Assistance Collaborative (CTAC) is a community-university partnership convened to serve a universal need identified by community partners around data, evaluation, and storytelling.

Web: https://ginsberg.umich.edu/ctac

Contact: ginsberg.ctac@umich.edu

Ginsberg Center Community Partnership Opportunities

Nonprofits

Semester: Fall and Winter

Recruiting: Ongoing

Description: The Ginsberg Center serves as an access point for social sector partners interested in engaging with the University of Michigan. We seek to cultivate and steward mutually beneficial partnerships between communities and the University of Michigan in order to advance the public good.

Web: https://ginsberg.umich.edu/campus-community-partnerships

Contact: community-engagement@umich.edu

+Impact Studio

Small businesses, Nonprofits; focusing on local organizations and minority and women-owned businesses

Semester: Fall and Winter

Recruiting: July – August for Fall; December – January for Winter

Description: Graduate business course that engages local businesses and nonprofits to design concepts for tackling challenges and increasing resiliency through the pandemic.

Web: https://businessimpact.umich.edu/impact-studio/ba670-impact-studio-course/

Contact: Lisa Kozlo, kozlolm@umich.edu

Ross MBA Multidisciplinary Action Projects

Small businesses, Nonprofits

Semester: Evening & Online – Summer (June-August); Global – Spring (May-June)

Recruiting: Evening & Online – Projects will be accepted and approved on a rolling basis beginning February to April; Global – Projects will be accepted and approved on a rolling basis beginning January to March.

Description: Our largest educational partnership program working with companies and organizations around the world. MAP focuses on actual business projects provided by sponsoring organizations, and educates teams of our MBA students through real-time action-based learning. MAP is not considered an internship.

Web:
Evening MBA; Online MBA; Global MBA

Contact: RossActionLearning@umich.edu

School of Information Courses & Programs

Small business, Nonprofits

Semester: Fall and Winter

Recruiting: Fall term projects are sourced June-August, and Winter term projects are sourced June-December

Description: Interdisciplinary teams of students, mentored by professionals, collaborate on semester-long projects for community clients. Opportunities include libraries and archives, website user experience and design, data analytics, health informatics, community engagement and more.

Web: https://www.si.umich.edu/employers/client-opportunities

Contact: School of Information Client Inquiry Form

Business+Impact Key Partners

We have robust and longstanding relationships with organizations and businesses in southeastern lower Michigan and Detroit. If you would like information about having a Board Fellow on your board, view additional information about becoming a Board Fellows partner.

If you would like your organization to partner with B+I directly on broader projects or events, learn how to become a partner.

Board Fellows Community Partnerships

One program through which we have forged those long-term partnerships is the Board Fellows Program. Over the past decade and half, the organizations below have had student board fellows work with their boards to make an impact on the community.

Take Action

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