January 2026 Newsletter
Join us for the Upcoming Nonprofit Lightning Talks Series
Nonprofit Lightning Talks is a 2025-26 series, brought to you by the University of Michigan Golub Capital Nonprofit Board Fellows Program. This entire series is open to the campus community and aims to equip you with concrete examples and actionable tools within each of the content areas of nonprofit governance covered.
ESG Dilemma Design Challenge Finals
Join us at Ross for the finals of a competition focused on the interplay of ESG, climate risk, and public policy for the banking sector. Co-sponsored by the Erb Institute and Business+Impact, this event will be focused on designing a strategy for banks to accelerate a sustainable market transformation while effectively managing their legal, political, and reputational risks. Come to the finals of the ESG Dilemma Design Challenge to see what teams from around the world developed!
The Impact Studio in New York!
Thanks to a generous gift from Zachary Savas to Business+Impact at Michigan Ross, four students traveled to Long Island, NY to work with Roman Stone Construction Company, a 100-year-old manufacturer of engineered precast and concrete products. The interdisciplinary student team—Nadia Hallaj (PhD -Material Science), Michael Ettlinger (MS – Environment & Sustainability, MEng), Sanya Gupta (BBA), and Analeigh Majewski (BS – Material Science)—is exploring a new climate-friendly precast concrete technology that substitutes traditional aggregates with industrial byproducts. It’s fascinating work, and exactly the kind of challenge that helps students gain valuable skills: teamwork, creative thinking, innovation, business development, and new market entry.
PODCAST: Beyond Shareholder Primacy
For decades now, shareholder primacy has shaped the direction of modern capitalism, with many impacts being externalized. In this episode of the “Social Impact Design for Business” Podcast series, Stu Hart, Co-Founder of InterNality, Inc. discusses the nature of his work there and how to change business, policy, and education from the ground up.
DNEP’s Community Tech Consultants Help Detroiters Thrive Online
Tech consultations are free to Detroit small business owners through a Community Tech Consultants program run by the University of Michigan in partnership with Jefferson East Inc and Live6 Alliance. The program equips local residents to provide tech support and digital skill development for small business owners, while strengthening community ties.
Ross Events
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| CPO: How to Create a Team Culture where Everyone Thrives Wed, Jan. 28 @ 1 pm ET Online |
FTMBA: All About Out for Business Tues, Feb. 17 @ 7 pm ET Online |
SPOTLIGHT
Dawn Batts (MBA ’92)
Dawn Batts (MBA ’92) has developed a career working alongside investors, founders, and ecosystem builders who are committed to expanding access to early-stage capital, particularly around the Detroit Metro area. A graduate of Michigan Ross, as well as MSU, with a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from Wayne State, she is all-Michigan in her education. Her career has unfolded through a series of pivots that gradually brought together finance, strategy, and community-centered work. We caught up with Dr. Batts during a hectic time this January.
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. Here you’ll find all of the events, courses, people, and key partners working to use their learning to make a real impact in the world.
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:
GINSBERG CENTER
Community Engagement and Alternative Break Grants
The Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning seeks grant proposals from registered student organizations to support community engagement and civic participation. This grant program aims to strengthen partnerships between UM student groups, the Ginsberg Center, and external community organizations (i.e. non-profits, government agencies, etc.) to address community-identified needs. Funding supports existing and new partnerships between student organizations and external community partners, emphasizing sustainable partnerships. Applicants can apply for the Community Engagement Grant or the Alternative Break Grant through the same application and eligibility process.
NATIONAL CENTER FOR INSTITUTIONAL DIVERSITY
Apply for UM’s Diversity Scholars Network
The Diversity Scholars Network (DSN) supports the professional success of scholars through academic, educational, and social connections and environments. We believe that success encompasses not only individual scholars’ professional goals but also their personal and professional development as whole persons.
Our network consists of over 1,300 scholars from 515 institutions worldwide, including tenured, tenure-track, clinical and research faculty (including lecturers), research staff, and postdoctoral fellows.
OFFICE OF ACADEMIC MULTICULTURAL INITIATIVES
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium
Featuring a Keynote Memorial Lecture by Erica Alexander, this weeks-long symposium riffs on the theme, “Talks by leaders and luminaries across culture and public life,” features Donzaleigh Abernathy (an American actress, author, and civil rights activist, and the goddaughter of Dr. King) and Derrick Johnson (19th president and CEO, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People [NAACP]). The Symposium includes concerts, lectures, and panel discussions on the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
FORD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY
Policy Talks
“Deportation Nation”
Tues, Jan. 20 @ 4:30-6:30 pm
Rackham Auditorium
“Wynton Marsalis in Conversation”
Wed, Feb. 4 @ 5:30-6:45 pm
Rackham Auditorium
The Ford School of Public Policy hosts a diverse array of timely, meaningful events that engage students, community, and public policy leaders.
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
Social Work Events
“Undoing Racism Workgroup”
Tues, Jan. 20 @ 3-4:30 pm ET
Online
The School of Social Work hosts a wide range of important social impact events that engage students, community, and Social Work leaders.
ROSS OFFICE OF COMMUNITY, CULTURE, AND BELONGING
Forging a Path Together and Building our Collective Destiny
Featuring Steve Pemberton
Wed, Jan 28 @ Noon – 1:30 pm
Tauber Colloquium, Ross School of Business
The Michigan Ross Dean’s Office and the Ross Office of Community, Culture, and Belonging are honored to welcome Steve Pemberton as this year’s keynote for the Michigan Ross 2026 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. event. Pemberton, a celebrated advocate and author of A Chance in the World, has dedicated his life’s work to navigating the complexities of identity and resilience while championing the power of shared humanity. His presentation (with Q&A) will challenge us to disrupt the status quo and move toward a future where our interconnectedness is our greatest strength.
WILLIAM DAVIDSON INSTITUTE
Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets: 2026 Global Case Writing Competition
Attend Workshop, Wed, Jan 21 @ 10 am ET
Intent-to-Enter Due by Fri, Jan 30
WDI Publishing, part of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan (WDI), along with the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurship, is excited to announce the launch of our Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets: 2026 Global Case Writing Competition. This competition invites faculty, students, and practitioners to submit original academic case studies that capture the realities of entrepreneurial ventures in fast-growing but challenging environments in emerging markets.
SEMESTER IN DETROIT
Apply for Semester in Detroit
Semester in Detroit accepts undergraduate students from all schools and departments at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, UM-Dearborn, UM-Flint and Grand Valley State University. All students, from First years to Seniors or Super Seniors are eligible to apply.
Applicants should have a strong interest in the city of Detroit and in questioning dominant narratives; engaging with challenging new perspectives on contemporary issues; and building community with students, SiD faculty and staff, and community members at internship sites and beyond.
CGIS
2026 Global Social Impact Internships Program
This program helps students earn academic credit while pursuing independent social impact internships in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Internship fields include health, engineering, education, human rights, sustainability, and gender-based advocacy. Alongside your internship, you will engage in critical dialogue and reflection about the complexities of striving for justice while crossing differences of culture and power, and you will create a series of digital storytelling posts that document your experiences through lenses informed by our course themes.
ERB INSTITUTE
Join the Erb Fellows Program
We are excited to announce that the application for the Erb Institute Undergraduate Fellows Program is now live! This is a key program for rising juniors (Class of 2028) majoring or minoring in the Stephen M. Ross School of Business or the Program in the Environment (PitE). Fellows engage in customizable coursework and co-curricular learning, and graduate with the connections to build a career in sustainability.
MARSAL FAMILY SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
James A. Kelly Learning Lever Prize
The James A. Kelly Learning Lever Prize is a competition designed to challenge University of Michigan students to invent digital tools with the potential to significantly improve student learning. This prize encourages a culture of innovation in education, and rewards the creative, interdisciplinary work of University of Michigan students.
In the Impact Community:
NEW Center Dates
Champions for Change Application
Extended to Fri, Jan. 16
Board Brilliance Workshops
Thurs, Jan 15 @ 9-11 am Online
Fri, Jan. 30 @ 9-11 am Online
Rooted and Resilient
Fri, Feb. 6 @ 9 am – Noon
New Center – 1100 North Main St. Suite 100, Ann Arbor
The Nonprofit Enterprise at Work (NEW) Center hosts a wide range of important nonprofit training events that engage the community in nonprofit success.
Ignite: NextUp313
Sat, Jan 17 @ 5 – 6:30 pm
8324 Woodward Ave, Detroit
Join us and explore the possibilities for youth entrepreneurship in Detroit, hosted by the Office of Councilmember At-Large, Mary Waters. This Open House event is designed to connect aspiring and current entrepreneurs to the business opportunities available through the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation and the City of Detroit. We will feature a recent successful participant in the NextUP 313 online course, as well as some exciting announcements about the program
Become a Certified Nonprofit Professional
The CNP is the only nationally recognized credential in nonprofit management that showcases learning and real-world experience. The CNP means you will perform better in your job and be 7x more likely to lead in the workplace. Take part in the Professional Track or the Accelerated Professional Track.
Apply for MBArk Expo West
Apply by Sun, Jan. 25 @ Midnight MST
Expo West Event: March 4-6
Can you design a new business or NGO that delivers a proven poverty intervention at scale? Submit your design for a new organization that solves one of our Distribution Challenges below. We will award the most promising teams with up to $20,000 USD to launch their new organization wherever extreme poverty exists. Challenges include Health, Water, Education, Agriculture, Livelihoods, Energy, and Public Services.
Volunteer to Prepare Taxes
Apply Now
Work Now — April
United Way of Southeast Michigan sponsors volunteer tax preparers from December 7 through April 16. As a volunteer tax preparer, you can ensure that our clients get the best return on their taxes. No need to be an accountant: we arm you with tax law training and on-site expert support so that you can confidently complete accurate returns. With a minimum commitment of 30 hours, you can help us return millions of dollars to members of our community this season.