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October 2025 Newsletter


ESG Dilemma Design Challenge promotional graphic with stylized green and blue icons representing environment and banking sector.


Register to Compete in the ESG Dilemma Design Challenge

Register by: Sun, Oct. 19

The Alliance for Responsible Capitalism presents 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.

MORE INFO

 



ESG logo graphic with stylized leaf and globe imagery representing sustainability for workshop series.


Fall 2025 ESG Workshop Series


How is ESG Information Used by the Capital Market and Beyond?
with Gwen Yu

Fri, Oct. 24 @ 10 am



ESG Reporting Frameworks
with Lindsey Gallo
Fri, Nov. 14 @ 10 am


The ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Workshop Series is designed to educate and engage students on key sustainability and ethical considerations in business and investment practices. Through a series of interactive sessions, the workshops will cover a range of topics, including reporting and regulatory frameworks, data providers, and the impact of ESG factors on financial performance and risk management.

REGISTER HERE

 


 


Golub Capital Nonprofit Board Fellows group photo: U-M students smiling together in a classroom.


Announcing this Year’s Golub Capital Nonprofit Board Fellows

Welcome to our 2025-26 Golub Capital Board Fellowship participants! This year’s program brings together 44 partner organizations and 83 students from 10 U-M schools and disciplines. The Fellows will serve on the governing boards of impactful nonprofits for the academic year and complete a strategic project by April 2026.

LEARN MORE

 



Impact Studio Founders and Fellows cohort photo of diverse undergraduate and graduate students gathered for a group picture.


Announcing this Year’s Impact Studio Founders and Fellows

A lot of great things are coming out of the Impact Studio this semester, and a number of posts on the program offer a unique glimpse into the exciting work being done here. First of all, the Impact Studio kicks off an exciting academic year and welcomes its newest cohort of Founders and Applebaum Impact Design Fellows! Hailing from seven different colleges and schools across campus, this dynamic group of social innovators comprises a highly diverse mix of undergraduate and graduate students!

READ MORE

 

Ross Events


Graphic with bright yellow and blue colors, showing HBCU and HSI college icons and diversity symbols for the Ross Community Engagement Series.

Ross event promotional graphic with blue background and icons signifying diverse abilities, inclusion, and accessibility in business leadership.


Ross: HBCU and HSI Insights
Tues, Oct. 14 @ 7 pm ET
Online



Ross: Diverse Abilities Insights
Thurs, Nov. 6 @ 8 pm ET
Online

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Impact News and Notes:

Institute for Energy Solutions grants support living learning labs

Student Life Sustainability brings ‘campus as lab’ model to life

University of Michigan says two campus solar arrays are up and running – featuring Geoff Chatas

Michiganders learn lead safety and advocacy through Ann Arbor nonprofit’s program

Earthfest marks 30 years of sustainability celebration

Venkatesh Potluri is building a more equitable and accessible future

Big businesses are doing carbon dioxide removal all wrong – featuring Jonathan Overpeck

Thawing permafrost is turning Arctic rivers orange—spelling trouble for fish – featuring Rose Cory

The EPA Says Greenhouse Gases Aren’t So Bad. Scores of Companies Have Said Otherwise – featuring Tom Lyon

U-M’s first Vice Provost of Sustainability and Climate Action takes charge – featuring Shalanda BakerU-M awarded $15M to transform science of natural hazards

EVs reduce climate pollution, but by how much? New U-M research has the answer

Only 13% of polling locations are accessible to disabled voters in Metro Detroit

Pure Michigan at Risk — Protect Great Lakes Science

It’s Not the Cow, It’s the How: Rethinking Soil, Cattle, and Sustainability

Finding ‘win-win-wins’ for climate, economics and justice

Does Inclusion Drive Innovation? Q&A with Professor Francesca Truffa

U-M ‘Battery Lab 2.0’ expansion open for innovation



Impact Roadmap promotional graphic: campus map with icons showing events, courses, and social impact partners at U-M.


Map Your U-M Journey with the Impact Roadmap

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.


Start Here


At the University:


Logo for Net Impact at Ross, featuring blue and yellow graphics and stylized text.

NET IMPACT @ ROSS

Make an Impact with Your MBA

Join Net Impact @ Ross — our B-School’s chapter of the national nonprofit helping future leaders drive positive change in business + society. Highlights this year include the Climate Speaker Series, a Panel with the Pros, the Impact Internship Happy Hour and funding support for impact-related conferences

SIGN UP HERE

PAY DUES HERE



Poverty Solutions Speaker Series logo with yellow and blue colors and stylized icons for U-M events.

UM POVERTY SOLUTIONS

Poverty Solutions Speaker Series

Friday, Oct. 17 — The High Cost of Mass Deportation
Friday, Oct. 24 — The Economics of Medication Access: Drug Prices, Insurance Design, and the Patient Experience
Friday, Oct. 31 — Lessons from the Water Warrior on Community Coalition Building for Water Justice
Friday, Nov. 7 — Employing Gen Z: Summer Youth Employment as a Path to Economic Mobility and More Inclusive Workplaces
Friday, Nov. 14 — The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers

The Real-World Perspectives on Poverty Solutions speaker series introduces key issues regarding the causes and consequences of poverty through an in-person and virtual lecture series featuring experts in policy and practice from across the nation. Our goal is to help build a broad community of learners to engage in these issues together.

LEARN MORE



Ford School of Public Policy logo with blue background, yellow text, and Weill Hall silhouette.

FORD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY

Policy Speaker Events

The High Cost of Mass Deportation
Fri, Oct. 17 @ Noon – 1:30 pm
School of Social Work ECC 1840



The Economics of Medication Access
Fri, Oct. 24 @ Noon – 1:30 pm
School of Social Work ECC 1840



Lessons from the Water Warrior
Fri, Oct. 31 @ Noon – 1:30 pm
School of Social Work ECC 1840

The Ford School of Public Policy hosts a diverse array of timely, meaningful events that engage students, community, and public policy leaders.

SEE ALL FORD EVENTS



CEW+ Awards logo with blue and white text and stylized university graphic.

CEW+

CEW+ Awards


Applications Due
Mon, Oct. 27


The Carol Hollenshead Inspire Award for Excellence in Promoting Equity and Social Change honors faculty, staff, and students (either individuals or groups) whose sustained efforts have resulted in greater equity with regard to gender, race, class, age, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

More Information



Wallenberg Legacy Medal & Lecture logo with stylized portrait of Vladimir Kara-Murza, activist and historian.

WALLENBERG LEGACY MEDAL & LECTURE

Vladimir Kara-Murza: Wallenberg Lecture

Tues, Nov. 4 @ 4:30 – 6 pm
Rackham Auditorium

Vladimir Kara-Murza, Russian politician, author, historian, and former political prisoner, will receive the 2025 Wallenberg Medal this year. The Wallenberg Medal and Lecture ceremony is free and open to the public. A close colleague of the slain opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, he served as deputy leader of the People’s Freedom Party and was a candidate for the Russian Parliament. Tickets are not required. Please direct any inquiries about the event and requests for event accommodations to [email protected] or 734-936-3973.

LEARN MORE



A2 Data Dive logo with blue and white stylized icons and campaign finance chart for Michigan transparency event.

UM SCHOOL OF INFORMATION

A2 Data Dive


Saturday, November 8 @ 9 am – 5 pm
Leinweber Building, 1st Floor

Register for the annual Ann Arbor (A2) Data Dive, hosted by the University of Michigan School of Information (UMSI)! This one-day event invites students, data enthusiasts, and community members to work side-by-side and analyze real-world data for meaningful impact, no matter their experience level. This year, in partnership with the Michigan Department of State (MDOS), participants will dive into campaign finance disclosure data to uncover important trends and insights in Michigan politics.

REGISTER NOW


In the Impact Community:


Rally Accelerator logo with blue and yellow stylized arrows and text, promoting entrepreneurship in Central Florida.

Rally Accelerator 2025

Apply Now
Serve Jan 19-May 12, 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.

APPLY NOW



Bamboo coworking space interior with people networking and working at tables, representing Bamboo Community Coworking in Detroit.

Bamboo in Detroit


Bamboo Detroit Community Coworking – Tues, Nov. 11 @ 9 am

Join us at our next event and expand your network. You are also welcome to host a meeting space or event in Detroit, Royal Oak, or Ann Arbor.

SEE ALL EVENTS



Toigo LIFE leadership program logo with blue text and stylized group of rising figures, promoting excellence in finance.

Participate in Toigo LIFE

Apply between Oct. 15 – Dec. 31

Powered by Toigo, Leaders Investing in Financial Excellence (LIFE) is a one-year program designed to develop and deliver a new cohort of finance industry leaders. LIFE provides candidates pursuing graduate degrees who are committed to careers in finance with a way to go further faster, based on their specific needs and career aspirations.

LEARN MORE



Community Innovation Challenge logo: stylized network graphic, blue background, and Net Impact branding.

Community Innovation Challenge

Apply by:
Sun, Oct. 26 @ 11:59 pm PT

Net Impact’s Community Innovation Challenge is seeking innovative ideas that leverage Cisco’s portfolio of products and services to drive both positive impact and the bottom line. This challenge invites students to design a social impact program that solves a community need (or needs) and demonstrates how these initiatives can drive business outcomes for the company.

APPLY HERE



Independent Sector National Summit logo and event graphic promoting nonprofit, foundation, and charitable professionals gathering.

Independent Sector National Summit 2025


Oct. 27-29
Atlanta, GA

Independent Sector’s National Summit 2025 will bring together professionals from across the charitable sector — nonprofits, foundations, and corporate giving programs — to build capacity, enhance knowledge sharing, foster collaboration, expand networking, and support advocacy.

MORE INFO AND REGISTRATION



Michigan Pre-College & Youth Outreach Conference logo showing students, school icons, and diversity graphics.

Michigan Pre-College & Youth Outreach Conference


Tues, Oct. 28
Michigan State University

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.
Our Keynote Speaker will be Mark Talaga, Director and Owner of The Center for Identity Potential.

REGISTER HERE



SOCAP25 conference logo: modern black and white style, symbolizing impact investing and market-based solutions.

SOCAP25


Oct. 27-29
San Francisco, CA

SOCAP convenes the most engaged and diverse impact investing community in the world. For more than 15 years, the SOCAP conference has been the flagship event and leading convener in the impact economy, gathering more than 100,000 people since our first event. This is the largest, action-oriented gathering where investors, entrepreneurs, and social impact leaders come together to accelerate progress against the world’s toughest challenges through market-based solutions.


MORE INFO



TigerLaunch competition logo with orange tiger illustration and text, symbolizing student-run startup pitch event.

Pitch for TigerLaunch

Apply by:
Sat, Nov. 1

The world’s largest student-run entrepreneurship competition invites you to 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?

MORE INFO & APPLICATION