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By Lara Zielin
U-M’s Business Engagement Center helps connect industry and the University.
When Bret Peppard (M.A. ’02) was a graduate student in U-M’s Department of Geological Sciences, he studied gold deposits in Nevada for more than just his dissertation. His research had real-life application for a private company that had funded his work. For both Peppard and the company, the relationship was win-win.
“If this company had gone to an outside contractor for the same research, it would have cost them tons more,” Peppard says. “I saved them money, and at the same time I was exposed to how the industry works, and I had guaranteed funding. For me, it was a great experience outside of straight academics.”
Now a geologist for Shell Exploration and Production Company, Peppard has helped connect students with his company in much the same way. With the assistance of the University of Michigan’s Business Engagement Center (BEC) and the Department of Geological Sciences, Peppard has linked Shell with graduate students in a variety of ways—from supporting the department to helping maintain Camp Davis to recruiting the best and the brightest for employment.
“From my personal experience—both from being a student at U-M and being on the industry side—I’ve seen how direct interaction between companies and universities is hugely beneficial,” Peppard says.
The BEC was launched in 2007 to help facilitate connections between businesses and University faculty and students. “We want to promote a welcoming and efficient pathway into U-M for business and industries,” says Daryl Weinert (’86) Executive Director of the BEC. “We serve as the focal point for coordinating relationships on campus.”
Those relationships can take on a variety of forms including helping corporations recruit student talent, collaborate on joint research projects, leverage university technologies and expertise, discover student project opportunities, and uncover funding opportunities that align with company goals.
At DTE Energy (DTE), Karla Hall (’93) uses the BEC to seek out creative and impactful funding opportunities in her role as the Manager of Corporate Contributions and Community Involvement. “As a funder, we get lost in the maze of how to connect with different schools. The BEC is presenting us with options, and that helps us align our people and our donations with the right individuals and interests.”
Recently, DTE funded a Clean Energy Prize on campus, creating an opportunity for student entrepreneurs to bring clean energy technologies to market. The winners developed a business plan for manufacturing and operating turnkey water-treatment systems, and walked away with $65,000 in prize money to help make their plans a reality.
These fruitful relationships between businesses and the University can have a real impact on economic growth in Michigan. “Faculty are getting their research funded, students are getting internships, and corporations are getting top talent and ideas that are critical to their success,” Weinert says.
For alumni out there who want to help their businesses connect to the University, Peppard recommends also getting involved on a departmental level. “Reconnect with old professors or department chairs, or make a trip to campus.” In addition to the BEC, “that’s the other part of how those relationships are built.”